Prophet Nkansah Runs Away Over Bribery
ON THE RUN! Prophet Daniel Nkansah
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The man at the centre of the bribery scandal that has hit the Electoral Commission (EC), Prophet Daniel Nkansah, seems to be playing a game of hide and seek with the police, as all efforts to get him to give his side of the story have proved futile.
This was after the failed presidential aspirant of the New Vision Party (NVP) reported two officials of the EC, Isaac Kofi Asumaning, Director of Elections and his colleague director in charge of Logistics, Emmanuel Asante Kissi, for allegedly collecting an amount of GHC1,600 from him to circumvent the electoral process.
While Mr Asumaning has vehemently denied the allegation and has been speaking to his lawyers, the man who is making the allegation, Prophet Nkansah, a notorious fraudster, can only be contacted on telephone.
The two EC officials were arrested on Monday by the police and charged with bribery and corruption.
But Accra Region Police Public Relations Officer, Freeman Tettey, told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that the man had been evasive. “Today, he says he will report and at another time tomorrow.”
DSP Tettey expressed surprise at the cold feet developed by Odeefuo Nkansah who prides himself as a ‘man of God’ because he has since refused to answer calls put to his phone to report to the police.
The self-styled man of God is already on police wanted list as an Accra Circuit Court has issued a bench warrant for his arrest over a fraud case.
The police PRO therefore concluded “he is on the run; we can’t find him” insisting that “if you know what you are saying is credible, come and substantiate it.”
The police sent men to his house and office but he was nowhere to be found.
What seems to frustrate the police is the fact that he is ‘jumping’ from one radio station to the other spewing out damning allegations, threatening to sue the EC.
Odeefuo Nkansah is suspected to have gone into hiding because a court in Accra has issued a bench warrant for his arrest for supposedly defrauding one Aisha Nurudeen to the tune of GH¢19,000.
But DSP Tettey indicated, “I think after tomorrow (referring to today), we have to think of what to do because this man cannot be let off the hook like that…we need to get him; he needs to give us some information.”
The Law
DAILY GUIDE has learnt that Asante Kissi is reported to have admitted to collecting the money but told the police it was a gift.
But Accra-based legal practitioner, Ace Anan Ankomah, has rubbished the claims by the EC officials that the money was a gift.
In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, he argued that “the law is clear that if you give money to a public officer to influence the work that he does, it amounts to corruption.”
“If you ask for any recompense, if it’s a gift or reward for doing or not doing your duty, then it’s a bribe. I don’t know what they are talking about,” he said and insisted that “the law says the gift is a bribe; it is corruption of a public officer…and both the giver and the receiver will be guilty.”
Asked whether this development could affect the credibility of the electoral process, the lawyer noted, “It suggests that there is probably something that has been going on…if I were the EC, the people would be interdicted immediately.”
Adamant
However, the embattled director of elections has denied ever receiving any financial inducement from the rampaging prophet. In an interview he granted Accra based Citi Fm on Tuesday, he stated, “I am surprised and shocked about this allegation. I have not demanded anything from this man.
“I don’t know what the man is up to. I don’t know anything about it. I have not taken any money from anybody,” he lamented.
Mr. Asumaning challenged calls for him to step aside for thorough investigations to be carried out. “How do I step aside? What have I done?” he asked rhetorically.
This is not the only allegation that the EC is currently battling to deflect.
The Deputy Chairman of the EC in Charge of Operations, Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, has also been accused by another political party, the United Front Party (UFP), of trying to demand bribe.
Nana Agyenim Boateng, popularly called Gyataba, the National Chairman of the UFP, is alleging that the deputy Chairman received GHC35,000 from the party’s controversial flagbearer, Akwasi Addei, popularly called Odike.
According to Gyataba, Odike is not the UFP’s legitimate flagbearer as he had earlier been sacked from the party.
Odike allegedly greased the palms of the EC deputy Chairman to push his bid through.
Uneasy Calm
When DAILY GUIDE visited the Ridge headquarters of the Commission yesterday, its workers were seen undertaking their daily tasks and speaking in hushed tones.
Groups of EC staff could be heard discussing the scandal.
Attempts by DAILY GUIDE to sample the opinions of personnel of the EC proved futile as many people considered the subject too dangerous to discuss openly.
The few people DAILY GUIDE attempted to interview declined to talk.
Expressions such as “embarrassment” and “shame” were occasionally heard around the EC headquarters.
By midday on Tuesday, all the top officials at the EC could not be contacted.
The Chairman of the Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, was said to have gone out of town, his deputy, Mr Kwadwo Safo Kantanka was on a trip to Abuja, Nigeria, while the Deputy Chairman in charge of Finance and Administration, Sulley Amadu, was also absent.
Attempts to reach the Director of Public Affairs of the EC, Christian Owusu Parry, also proved futile, as he was out of his office and he could not be reached on telephone either.