THE 2008 HATRED FOR RAYMOND ARCHER AND RADIO GOLD THAT MANIFESTS 12 YEARS ON

If today, the works of Kevin Ekow Baidoo Taylor marvels you, then Raymond Archer was there. If today, the works of Anas Aremeyaw Anas marvels you, Raymond Archer was there many years ago.

Raymond was the Editor-in-Chief of the Enquirer newspaper back in the days. Due to the lack of technology thereof, many never had the opportunity of seeing his work that much. But, Raymond, since his entry into Ghana, gave the then Kufour administration, the ‘hell of a time’. I remember the famous cartoon that became associated with the Enquirer in which two individuals were seated on a table plotting while the Enquirer was apparently under the table taking record of whatever they were plotting.

Raymond Archer then, was one of Ghana’s finest investigative journalist walking the shores of the country. He was so sophisticated, effective, exposed a lot of rot and became an enemy of state under the Kufour administration over his numerous exposé of scandals that rocked the then administration of the NPP.

Into the 2008 elections which saw Nana Akufo-Addo and late Professor Mills as front runners, the odds were against Professor Mills. On the other hand, Nana Addo was everywhere already functioning as president. He operated his campaign with flamboyance and as a sitting president.

In the heat of the elections, several machinations and plots were engineered to ensure he wins the 2008 elections. Then it became necessary for a run off after the NDC had won majority of seats in Parliament. The elections had had to be held in Tain Constituency as the outcome of results from that constituency could change the narrative and determine who becomes the next president of Ghana.

There were several efforts by then incumbent to circumvent the will of the people and to make Nana Addo winner of the elections. And here, we are talking about 2008, an era of less technology as against what we see today.

It so happened that there was birthed a program on Radio Gold named Election Forensics which got people keeping wake to know what was happening. This program at a point, had a man like the late Efo Kojo Mawugbe appearing on the program when Ghana was almost sitting on the verge.

It came out that every conversation then held to plot on the rigging of the 2008 elections, were played live on Radio Gold. It was on that program that the name “Blackie” as a contracted soul by then Maxwell Kofi Jumah became popular on many lips. It was discovered in one of their discussions that they learnt of the leak.

Indeed, there was a woman who was aiding the plot from outside the jurisdiction. All those voices were aired live on Radio Gold to expose the evil plot that sought to circumvent the will of the people.

The platform for Election Forensics became the focal point. It destabilized the potters to the extent that they did not know what next to do as every call appeared recorded and played live. In one such programs, guns were being arranged, dead bodies were being arranged to be spread around the Volta Region to cause panic among the people.

That program, mainly run on the investigative prowess and intelligence of Mr. Raymond Archer, denied Nana Akufo-Addo from becoming president after the 2008 elections. When their plots had all failed, they were engineering a plot to head to court.

The reliance on the courts and the intentions to use marriage connections to the then Chief Justice to secure injunction and subsequent favourable determination of election related matters, were all exposed on Radio Gold. It was when all these failed, and when Tain was over, that the Akufo-Addo empire had to come to terms with the reality.

Indeed, in one of their plans, they headed to the courts to secure an ex-parte injunction from the courts. To their dismay, as soon as they arrived in the courts, the likes of Lawyer Tony Lithur were seated there and managed to deflate their application which defeated their purpose and intents.

So, if in 2019 Radio Gold goes down, and in 2020, a company owned by Raymond Archer is demolished even though the matter still pends before the courts, it cannot be the exercise of anything other than power for revenge. We cannot overlook the fact that Radio Gold was used as a vehicle to deny Nana Akufo-Addo from assuming his “birthright” as president 12 years ago. Then again, Mr. Raymond Archer was the engineer who ensured that empire was collapsed in its totality.

The distraction of these two businesses can only be situated within the context of political revenge on matters that occurred some 12 years ago now that the man they denied power has assumed same.

Many may have forgotten, but this needed to be told by those of us who can at least attempt to remember.