Alan Party’ Shot Down

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.”

Mayhem At Atiwa

Posted: Daily Guide | www.dailyguideghana.com
Thursday, 02 September 2010
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The events that characterised the just-ended Atiwa bye-election have sent worrying signals to several Ghanaians, especially the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) who are raising concerns about acts of atrocities perpetrated by elements of the ruling party in recent polls.

The NPP is not sure the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections will be held in a peaceful atmosphere considering the manner in which the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) used intimidation to contest the recent elections, with the police looking on helplessly.

It said it could not understand the brutality that was visited on members of the NPP in Atiwa, Akwatia and Chereponi by the NDC and its assigns.

With police’s failure to protect them, the youth in Atiwa on Tuesday mounted road blocks to prevent attacks inflicted on them.

At Abomosu, the NDC Women’s Organiser Anita De-Souza’s Toyota Prado vehicle crushed several people at a road block in the full glare of policemen, after some hoodlums imported by the NDC had assaulted residents.

Even though Anita denied running over some residents who are in critical condition at various health facilities in the region, with some nursing broken limps and peeled skins among other bodily harms, reports have been made at the Abomosu Police who confirmed to DAILY GUIDE that three cases of violence were reported to them by three people.

According to the police, Kofi Bremang, who arrived at the police station with blood all over his body, complained that he was beaten and hit with clubs by suspected NDC goons.

The NDC ‘Sese’ Group, headed by a certain Polo, confirmed on Oman FM that he had led his boys to the constituency on the day of the bye-election.

Polo, who described the group as a very dangerous one, said they were funded by some key people in the party as well as businessmen.

Kofi Gyampo, Abuakwa South constituency chairman of the party, was also attacked by the hoodlums at a settler community near Asunafo where he was a polling agent.

Complaint about Anita’s 4×4 car running over some youth was reported at the police station by Evans Adjei-Mensah.

A statement issued by NPP General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie yesterday said “the implications of such negative signals even ahead of 2012 for the economy and the country as a whole are obvious” since “the recurring failure of state security to protect these bye-elections poses a frightening threat to our democracy”.

The NPP scribe asked President Atta Mills, Minister for the Interior and Inspector General of Police to explain this failure.

The party said what are being presented as ordinary security lapses “are indeed a deliberate strategy to intimidate political opponents and give electoral advantage to the ruling NDC”.

For him, the inability of the country’s security agencies to provide adequate security in the Atiwa elections should be a great worry to each and every Ghanaian since he could not fathom why the election recorded the same security failures that occurred during the Akwatia and Chereponi bye-elections.

“Under this administration, armed policemen looked on unconcerned while organised thugs, wielding arms and other dangerous weapons, attacked innocent people at will.”

Sir John, as the NPP scribe is affectionately called, said “the persistent excuse given by such well armed but indifferent security personnel that they are unable to act because they have not received instruction to do so is, to say the least, ridiculous!”

He asked: “What is the use of security presence if the personnel would look on unconcerned while armed thugs assault innocent voters and scare off others?”

The NPP does not rule out the complicity of senior elements in the security agencies, since according to its General Secretary, “it is obvious that police personnel sent to election premises are instructed not to act without specific command from above while thugs are encouraged to intimidate political opponents and their sympathisers”.

Unless these threatening developments are addressed by government, “the country stands the danger of violent elections in 2012 when 230 constituencies (not one constituency) will need state security.”

The NPP therefore asked government to explain these security failures and the measures being taken to ensure that they would not happen again especially during the 2012 elections.

Pollster and editor-in-chief of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Ben Ephson shares a similar view since he also believes that the events that characterised the Atiwa bye-elections could be repeated in 2012 if adequate measures are not put in place to forestall any such unhealthy occurrences.

He said, “These are signs we must work towards... we shouldn’t always think that God will always be a Ghanaian. God can decide to shift his attention to another country.”

This, according to him, is because “He (God) has done enough for us and we have to be innovative and find out ways of preventing it.”

He had a message for the so-called foot-soldiers who are often used by politicians to perpetrate some of these dastardly acts against their fellow human beings for paltry monetary benefits:

“If somebody tells you that, ‘look, get this money and let’s go and show we have macho, we have this or that’, you should tell that politician to bring the daughter or the son to accompany you to do the violence and see whether he will bring the relative to accompany you to do the violent act.”

But the Member of Parliament for Okere, Dan Botwe says if he were the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), he would resign (over the issue).

Speaking on Joy FM, he said, “You had policemen on the ground, you had the topmost police people there, and there was mayhem.

People were holding guns, beating people openly and they openly and freely did it in the daytime. …the police were there, our cars were smashed, the police were standing by helplessly.”

John Mahama 2012 Unveiled

Posted :Daily Guide |www.dailyguideghana.com
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has not yet opened nominations for who gets elected to lead the party for the 2012 general elections, but DAILY GUIDE can report that various schemers in the party are employing different tactics to position themselves to boost their chances to oust President Atta Mills from the race.

Reports monitored on Adom FM yesterday gave indications that one of such strategic moves was unveiled in Anyinam in the Atiwa constituency of the Eastern region on Sunday during a rally to end campaigning for today’s by-election.

Some supporters and members of the NDC, as well as brass band groups, were spotted wearing T-shirts that sought to promote the cause of Vice President John Dramani Mahama for the 2012 general elections.

Our checks have established that the green Lacoste T-shirts which bore a big picture of John Mahama, with an inscription ‘Great Success Winning NDC’, were distributed by the Eastern Regional Minister, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo.

Though he confirmed giving out the T-shirts to the party supporters, Ofosu Ampofo said they were not meant to promote John Mahama’s presidential ambition as the party’s flag-bearer but to enable them to campaign for the NDC to win the Atiwa by-elections, adding that the T-shirts were leftovers of those printed and used in the 2008 elections, when John was not the candidate but rather a running-mate to Prof Atta Mills.

Ofoso-Ampofo denied the T-shirt bearing any inscription which sought to further the ambition of the Vice President, saying “it’s an old stock, I printed plenty of them.”

Efforts to reach Spokesman for the Vice President, John Abdulai Jinapor proved unsuccessful since his phone was “switched off or out of coverage area.”

But with this subtle campaign, Kwesi Pratt Jnr is raising alarm that the move was undermining President Atta Mills who has indicated his interest to contest the 2012 polls.
The jostle for the presidency is on the blind side of the President, according to Kwesi Pratt.

Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE has picked strong signals from the corridors of power, the Osu Castle, suggesting that in spite of an earlier declaration of intent to seek re-election in order to prevent any individual or group of persons in the NDC who might be nursing presidential ambitions from juggling for the position, Prof. Mills may after all not run.

It is not clear whether any such decision is likely to be informed by campaigns by people like Sekou Nkrumah, Ras Mubarak and a host of others who argue that Mills should not lead the NDC to the 2012 election for fear of losing since, according to them, he has not proven to be a strong leader who could pull Ghanaians along.

But the Ahwoi brothers, led by Ato Ahwoi, who is seen as the head of the Mills ‘kitchen cabinet,’ considering his closeness and influence on the President, are leaving nothing to chance as they are said to be working vigorously to get their younger brother, Kwesi Ahwoi, to be elected as the NDC’s presidential candidate in case Prof. Mills does not run for the position, or at least to be the running mate to John Mahama.

But the flyers are not down yet on the founder’s wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings.

Close associates of the former First lady say she is still actively in the race, though she is trying to play it safe in order not to draw unnecessary attention to herself since Mills has some mileage to go.

Just last week, aide to former President Jerry Rawlings, Kofi Adams, said former first lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings was more than qualified to lead the NDC to election 2012.

A similar campaign was mounted for Konadu at the June 4 celebration in Tamale, where a youth group from the Ashanti region displayed a banner with the inscription, ‘Movement for Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings 2012 President.’

Although some political analysts believe the banner was a confirmation of her quest to lead the party, Nana Konadu has since kept quiet over the issue, making room for more speculations.

Kofi Adams, however, says Nana Konadu has very good qualities to be a leader, adding that “if she is our flag-bearer, there is no reason why we cannot win the elections in 2012.

Even though the 62-year-old woman has not stated categorically whether she will contest or not, there is a supposition that she wants to.

Meanwhile, the former first lady has intensified her efforts by undertaking grassroots’ projects through her 31st December Women’s Movement and closer relationship with the youth of the party to boost her chances.

Some have also hinted that there are talks between the Konadu and John Mahama camps for John to consider Konadu as his running mate in case Mills does not seek re-election.