The name Ben Akafia may sound ordinary at first, but behind it lies a remarkable man who played, if not major, a key role in shaping the nation's fortunes and contributing to the peaceful democracy Ghana enjoys today.
His exploits, which are rarely told and known only to a few senior citizens in the country, took place during Ghana's 2000 general elections, as documented by Dr Baffour Agyeman-Duah, in his book, My Ghanaian Odyssey.
According to My Ghanaian Odyssey by Dr Baffour Agyeman-Duah - with excerpts published by the New Crusading Guide and featured on GhanaWeb in November 2012 - Major General Ben Akafia foiled an attempted coup by a group of military officers during the runoff of the December 2000 general elections.
The account details that following the first round of the 2000 Election - where the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate, the late Prof , trailed closely behind the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) with 44% and 48% of the votes respectively - some military officers plotted to stage a coup to prevent the second round of voting in the December 2000 Election from taking place.
