Dr Gabriel Tanko Kwamigah-Atokple with Succeed when they met
Comrades,
It has taken me over 11 long, emotional hours to bring myself together to write this not for lack of words, but because of the sheer weight of the moment, and the tears that have refused to dry from my eyes since yesterday.
Today, I speak not just as a young man, not just as a party foot soldier, not even as the founder and president of the Social Media Army for Tanko Group but as a witness to a rare display of compassion, character, and true leadership that left me, and many others, completely overwhelmed.
Let me tell you a story that will shake the hearts of those who still believe that politics is only about power, position, or profit.
This is the story of HE Dr Kwamigah Gabriel Atokple Tanko, a man who did not just campaign for votes during the Council of state member Elections but walked into the shadows to lift the forgotten.
During his campaign for the Council of State elections, I was granted the immense privilege of assembling a vibrant, fiercely dedicated vanguard of young people. Our mission was simple yet profound to amplify and champion the vision of HE Tanko during the intense Council of State elections. Among our ranks stood a brother known to so many of you as Minister Succeed. He is a name synonymous with selfless devotion, a revered NDC serial caller, and one of our party’s most steadfast, loyal grassroots communicators.
For 19 painful years, Succeed has been living with the devastating aftermath of a spinal cord injury from a manhole accident. His life has been confined to the walls of a quiet village, his pain made invisible, his struggles hidden yet, he has never stopped fighting for our party.
And then, one day, HE Dr Tanko said something that broke me:
“Japhet, I have been hearing what this young man is doing for me. His voice is on the radio, his love for me is on social media. Please, I want to meet him. Bring him to Weta.”
As he persistently, gently pressed me to arrange a meeting with Succeed, I hesitated. Not out of disrespect nor envy, but from a place of deep protective instinct, shielding my brother from the harsh truth of his condition. After several earnest, persistent requests from HE, my resolve finally crumbled, and I laid bare the painful reality of Succeed’s state.
And without flinching without hesitation this great man said: “Then I will go to him myself.”
And that is exactly what he did yesterday.
After attending a youth empowerment programme in Akatsi yesterday, HE Tanko personally led a convoy of three vehicles not with pomp or arrogance but with purpose and love, into the remote, humble village where Succeed lives and in that deeply moving moment, Tanko did what no politician in the Volta Region has done in recent memory:
He gave GH¢5,000.00 cash in support to Succeed.
He pledged to build him a one-bedroom home, with construction beginning immediately.
He committed to securing medical care for him, promising to walk with him through the journey.
And rather than buying a motorbike that might worsen Succeed’s health, he offered GH¢1,000.00 monthly to sustain him with dignity.
Who does this in our politics today?
Who?
Not many. But Tanko did.
This, comrades, is the leadership we have prayed for. Not in press conferences. Not in slogans. But in raw, healing action.
Let it be known today:
Tanko has rewritten the story of Volta Region politics.
He has shown that you don’t need to be a president to change a life.
You only need a heart.
While others stay in their comfort zones, Tanko braves the dusty roads to energize our hardworking heroes.
While others calculate political gain, Tanko sees only human pain.
While others ride in luxury to praise themselves, Tanko rides into forgotten villages to lift the broken.
So I say this with pride, with tears, and with hope: Volta Region, you have a gem in HE Tanko.
Ghana, you have a servant in HE Tanko.
And to every politician who seeks relevance learn from HE Dr Tanko
To every youth seeking direction follow TANKO.
To every party craving revival stand with TANKO because he knows the road.
Tanko is not just a man. He is a message.
He is not just a leader. He is a legacy in motion.
Long live this beautiful soul.
Long live HE Gabriel Kwamigah Atokple Tanko.
Long live the NDC.
Long live true leadership.
