In 1992 Ghanaians chose democracy over 19 years of bloody and brutal revolution under the leadership of late Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings. As at today, over 300 Ghanaians who got missing have not been found and are presumed dead. In the absence of the revolution, Rawlings replaced it with his political party (NDC- the National Democratic Party) which virtually pursued the aims and aspirations of the Revolution. Since then, the revolutionary traits, notably threats, violence and intimidation etc. have not been abandoned by the NDC.
The formation of the NDC party became a haven for all the revolutionary cadres and many of them were recruited into the various security services such as the National Security, Ghana Armed Forces, the Police, Immigration, National Fire Service, and many other sensitive security institutions in the country. These cadres owed their allegiance to the revolution and consequently, their recruitment into the security services automatically polarised the services and undermined its discipline. What has saved the country from further evils of the revolution is that firstly, the revolution failed miserably, and the advocates lost their bearing. Secondly, many of the apostles of the revolution have grown old and have lost their vim.
Thirdly, education, age and maturity have changed their perception and now some have seen the light. However, as the Akan adage goes “when a mad man is cured of his madness, some traits of madness left in him are enough to scare the little children.” So today some revolutionary cadres are still hanging on to some revolutionary ideas wishing they could be factored into the scheme of things.
The success of the NDC in the 2024 general elections has given them some strong conviction that the whole country is at their beck and call. Ghanaians have a way of protesting against their leaders and party, and they have shown it to the NPP in 2024, and it can also happen to the NDC in 2028. I pointed out in one of my pieces that the 6.4 million Ghanaians who voted for President Mahama, only represents 18% of the population of approximately 34 million and 33% of the registered voters of 18 million. These are not impressive figures to boast about popularity.
The rumour mill is full of stories about the NDC’s intention to use its majority in parliament to seek a third term for President Mahama. Per the rumours, the removal of the Chief Justice is the first phase of the plan which will be followed by the removal of the Electoral Commissioner. The success of these actions will then pave the way for the NDC to test the pulse of Ghanaians for the third term presidency of President Mahama. The priority to remove the Chief Justice is to replace her with a Chief Justice who will panel favourable Justices of the Supreme Court to adjudicate on matters to favour the NDC.
As part of the scheme and to solidify security, on the 24th of March 2025, President John Mahama retired all the five top Armed Forces military Officers without any reason for the action. The retired Officers who were all appointed by ex-President Akufo-Addo are, the CDS- Chief of Defence Staff- General Thomas Oppong Peprah, (on 1st February 2024), the Army Chief of Staff Lt-General Bismarck Kwasi Onwona (on 24th February 2024), Chief of Air Staff Air Marshall Fredrick Asare Bekoe (on 26th January 2023), Naval Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Issah Adam Yakubu (on 4th of March 2021) and Chief of Staff of the Ghana Armed Forces Lt General Joseph Prince Osei Owusu on (30th April 2024).
By the Constitution, nobody is above the law and even the President can be impeached and therefore the removal of the Service Chiefs should not create any ripples but when their retirements are done without due consideration to their terms and conditions of service, then something is wrong. Secondly, the removal of all of them at the same time without due regard to their retiring ages is worrying and gives the impression of some wrongdoing. The decision therefore has ulterior motives which are unknown but for all intents and purposes not noble.
By their retirements, some careers have been terminated without justification. Such actions breed mistrust, instability, discontent and undermine loyalty. The Armed Forces have rules and regulations governing career officers to prevent mistrust and ensure fairness in promotion of Officers and this must be respected to ensure stability in the Services. Replacing four-star generals with one-star generals will take some time before experience and efficiency would be restored. Consequently, efficiency will suffer for a while before the newly promoted generals begin to pick up the pieces. Remember experience cannot be bought or imposed by political power. Loyalty can be bought but “true loyalty” takes time to nurture.
What has caused the early retirement of the CDS, the Army Chief of Staff and the Chief of Staff who had just been on their jobs for barely a year ago? Senior Officers who have served their country well deserve to be retired honourably and not embarrassed with compulsory retirements. It also reveals the hidden political hand for vengeance. The Air Chief of Staff has been on his job for barely two years and does not deserve to be sacked if he has not committed any offence. The only one whose retirement may not merit any comment is the Chief of Naval Staff who has been on his job for four years. Even though there are no fixed periods for these appointments, the Armed Forces Administrative Regulations provides three years minimum service for the commanders to be on their jobs. Job security is necessary and creates confidence and stability in the management of the Services.
The retirement of the five Generals seems punitive and unfair. It may seem to ordinary citizens that only five Generals have been retired but in practice all officers’ senior in rank to Brig-Generals who have just been promoted, by hierarchical traditions, will be retired to maintain cohesion and discipline. This action suggests a planned cleansing of the Armed Forces’ top hierarchy that can only be equated to cleansing that usually accompanies military coups d’etat. This is not healthy and points directly to political interference in the promotion and appointments of senior officers of the Armed Forces. This could affect morale, promotions and recruitment. The indulgence in this dangerous practice as a way of settling political scores must be avoided.
The military’s believe in hierarchy has long historical antecedent which space will not allow me the luxury to make remarks on it, but it has guided all military institutions throughout the world for its stability and discipline. The military relies heavily on training to maintain its efficiency. The selection and training of officers starts from the captain’s rank where an officer is pushed through a series of courses based on his ability. The process sieves the grains from the chaff and by the time the officer reaches the rank of a Brig-Gen you can be assured that some military knowledge and experience have been acquired. To dismiss generals without any justification is very demoralising and punitive.
The notion of “do before you complain” has been misinterpreted in many circles, giving the impression that military personnel are zombies. You cannot enter the Military Academy to be trained as an officer without a second-class degree and that degree will not take you far if you don’t pull your weight during classes and training. Similarly, you cannot become a soldier without a degree or SHS certificate. To take such calibre of personnel for operations, the rationale behind the operations must be explained to them to seek their support for the complementing roles they will play to achieve the objective. To win their support and commitment they must be part of the plan and not followers of the plan. The military believes in efficiency and precision and the keys to achieve these are training and rehearsals and not the zombie dictum of “do before you complain”.
The threat to remove the Chief Justice and the Electoral Commissioners are real threats to our democracy which Ghanaians must resist because the removal of these two pillars without any justification will weaken the two institutions. The removal of the Service Chiefs is also an attempt to politicise the Security services which will not be in anybody’s interest. As pointed out, the security services are already polarised and any attempt to play politics with one faction could blow up in our faces. Lastly, officers who have sacrificed their lives to serve our country, deserve to be treated with respect and decorum and be retired honourably and not in mysterious circumstances which suggest some wrongdoing.
We need a stable Armed Forces, the integrity of the Electoral Commission and the strength of the judicial system to sustain our democracy.
By Brig-Gen (Rtd) J. Odei
