Watch video of Mahama questioning Akufo-Addo during his vetting for Attorney-General role in 2001

The video, which is making the rounds on social media, captures John Mahama, who was then a Member of Parliament for Bole, questioning then Attorney General and Minister of Justice-designate, Nana Akufo-Addo, over plans by the new Kufuor government to probe some major happenings in the country during the era of the Provisional National Defence Council led by Jerry John Rawlings.

John Mahama, who was a member of the Appointments Committee of Parliament, intended to know how the NPP government planned to implement its plans and whether it was going to make use of existing public institutions or create new ones.

“You said that the majority was going to introduce a motion to set up a peace and justice commission to probe into June 4 and December 31. There was an uproar, and you were shown clearly walking out of the house in opposition. I want to be clear in my mind if you were opposed to the timing or the idea of what was being discussed ,” he said.

Nana Akufo-Addo clarified that it was important for the country to have dispassionate discussions about the excesses of the June 4, 1979 coup and find ways of compensating the victims of the excesses of the revolution.

He, however, believed that state institutions like the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) had the legal backing to execute the task.

“My own view is that at some stage you have to come to grips with that era and its consequences. We have to do it in a way that the peace and justice of this country is not jeopardized. We are required as a country to decide how we deal with our past. The nation is ready to say let bygones be bygones, but there is still the situation involving the victims. People’s suffering cannot be alleviated just by words.

“What I believe in is that let us have some kind of mechanism working not with discretion but dealing with the matters in an objective way. I’m not sure there is any need for any particular body because there are institutions in place like CHRAJ which can perform these functions for those who believe they deserve some compensation. My preference is that wherever there are existing institutions that can deal with the problems, let those institutions be strengthened to deal with the problems,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.

Both Nana Akufo-Addo and John Mahama have since gone on to serve as presidents of Ghana, with Akufo-Addo serving two terms.

Mahama, on the other hand, is in the first month of his second term as president.

Watch the video below:

Throwback video of former President Nana Akufo-Addo’s appointment as Minister for Justice-designate in 2001, where he was questioned by President John Mahama at the Appointments and Vetting Committee in Parliament.

During the vetting, former President Akufo-Addo highlighted the… pic.twitter.com/azwGxDz58S

— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) January 18, 2025