Otumfuo meets Kufuor and Francis Poku

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, on Wednesday night met with President Kufuor and Francis Poku, the former National Security Minister. Joy News sources close to the parties suggest the almost two-hour meeting, held at the residence of the President was aimed at patching up the sharply deteriorating relations between President Kufuor and his once favourite security capo. The Asantehene was on his way to Libya and had called on the President, with whom he has very close ties, and decided to invite Francis Poku over for mediation. It is not immediately known what has been the outcome of the meeting or details of the discussions. The former Minister on Wednesday had his home besieged by a heavy security presence with several armed soldiers and police men in combat gear in what was later explained as a debriefing exercise. A Ghana News Agency report quotes Mr. Poku as expressing his misgivings about the incident and calling it an unfortunate incident. There were suggestions from some media men who stormed Mr Poku’s residence that the exercise was intended to place Mr. Poku under house arrest. During the siege, he was refused visitors. But the government has dismissed suggestions that the security operation at the home of former National Security Minister was an attempted house arrest. A statement from the office of the President signed by the Information Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie says the exercise was a routine replacement of the security detail of the Mr. Poku, and was usual for ministers who are no longer in office. It says the police officers that were positioned at the Ridge residence were replacing military officers who were before then in charge of his security. The statement says the journalists who gathered at the scene misunderstood the presence of the officers and carried the news in an exaggerated fashion calling the incident a “house arrest” and adds that Mr. Poku, as a security professional, is himself fully aware of the routine nature of the exercise and concludes with an assurance to the nation that the ongoing events are in the best interest of the country.