Posted: Daily Guide |www.dailyguideghana.com
Friday, 03 September 2010
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Even before it established itself as a recognised political force in the country, issues have started popping up about the credibility of the so-called United Front Party (UFP).
The intention behind its formation was exposed yesterday when the founder of the party, Kwasi Addae, could not even tell the motto of his party.
This was when he spoke on Adom FM’s morning show concerning unfolding developments about the new party.
Kwasi Addae is the owner of Odike ventures, a shoe trading company which has branches in Kumasi and Accra.
He could also not tell the logo of his party which he claimed to have a membership that cuts across the political divides.
Addae admitted to have been a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and lately a New Patriotic Party (NPP) member.
Even though he admitted that the Electoral Commission (EC) had asked him and his cohort to revise their party colours since it had some semblance with that of the NPP, he could also not give the new colours, asking that he be given time to go to the office to confirm that.
This therefore raised doubts about the credibility of the party and its founders, considering the vile efforts being employed to link it to Alan Kyerematen, even though he has not only denounced the speculation but has also declared his unflinching support for the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Addo.
With the exception of Mr Addae, the founder of the party, who has come out openly to defend it, all other persons who have been linked to it have disassociated themselves from the party.
Chief among them was J.K Owusu-Boakye aka Albito, the man who was speculated to be the general secretary of the party. He has completely denied his involvement in the party.
Albito, who used to be part of Alan Kyerematen’s campaign team in the Ashanti region during the NPP presidential primary, could not conceive how he was named as part of the supposed disgruntled Alan supporters who have decided to leave the NPP to form their own party since according to him, he has not thought of any such thing.
Though he supported Alan’s campaign, Mr Owusu-Boakye said after the election of Nana Addo as the NPP presidential candidate, they decided to bury their differences and throw their weight behind him, stressing that his allegiance was to the NPP and not any individual in the party.
For this reason, he said they have since been working to secure victory for Nana Addo and the NPP in the 2012.
Another person who has also distanced himself from the UFP is Kumasi-based businessman Joseph Amoah, former Co-ordinator for Alan Kyerematen’s campaign team in the Central region, who was also speculated to be the chairman of the party.
In separate accounts, they narrated that just after the NPP primary, Alan himself who contested but lost the flagbearership to Nana Addo asked them and all other persons who supported his presidential bid to throw their weight behind Nana Addo.
They therefore could not understand why any individual or group of persons would concoct stories to cause confusion in the NPP, especially when no such thing exists.
NPP General Secretary Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie has condemned calls by a newspaper for Alan Kyerematen to distance himself from the new party.
A statement issued under his hand yesterday described these speculations and Alan’s supposed involvement in the UFP as completely untrue.
He noted that “the leadership of the New Patriotic Party has noted the unsuccessful attempt by our political opponents and their partners in the media to create some impression that the followers of Mr Alan Kyerematen have defected from the party to form a new party.”
This, he said, was because “all the unsuccessful aspirants in the August 7 congress (including Mr Kyerematen) have committed themselves by word and by their actions to the success of Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP in the 2012 general elections”, indicating that the NPP would go into the next elections more united than ever.
He recalled that prior to the party’s recent presidential primary, some of their political opponents, especially the NDC and their media accomplices, suggested that the NPP was likely to break up after the congress.
Though nothing of that sort happened, he noted that the NDC and its agents were not moving from their malicious ways as they continued to peddle false information that followers of Alan Kyerematen were planning a defection from the NPP.
Whilst he admitted that any Ghanaian had the liberty to form a new political party, the General Secretary said “it is completely dishonest for anybody to suggest that any rumour or any formation of a new political party must be a defection from the NPP.”
The NPP has accordingly asked the newspaper to retract that false story and its call on Mr Kyerematen to dissociate himself from anything.
The party also had a word of advice for the NDC and its proxies in the media: “Instead of dedicating so much time planning defection fabrications about the NPP, they should dedicate the time planning measures to honour their many failed promises.”
It added, “They should spend time doing something about the worsening conditions of living in the country.”