Former Parliamentary Candidate for NDC in Anyaa Sowutuom, Emmanuel Adortey Allotey has faulted the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the worsening economic situation in the country.
He says the Akufo-Addo administration has failed to turn around the economy as promised in the build-up to the 2016 election because it lied its way into power.
The fundamental struggles of Ghana’s economy have remained since the NPP took office under the Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government, and the indicators appear to be unfavourable.
He mentioned that the NPP’s constant attribution of the economic mismanagement to the NDC during its campaign was indicative that it was taking the citizenry for granted.
Speaking with Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9, Mr. Allotey said that, “I think right from the onset, the foundations were established on deception. And when you build something on deception, within a matter of time, it is going to collapse. So basically, they came into office riding on lies. They came into office pretending that somehow they were going to reduce taxation and at the same time increase expenditure. So right from the word go, they were deceiving the people.
“Right from the beginning, they absolutely lied to the country, especially when they made it look as if the whole of the problem was simply about the question of mismanagement when they knew it was not.”
Emmanuel Adortey Allotey explained that the financial resources at the disposal of the NPP should reflect in the output of its various flagship programs but, unfortunately, that has not been the case.
The Municipal Education Director of Effia Kwesimintsim Municipality, Mrs Kate Biney says very stringent measures will be ensured to prevent cheating in the upcoming Basic Education Certificate Examination (B.E.C.E) that is billed to start on Monday , October 17, 2022.
Speaking on Takoradi-based flagship morning programme Y3nsom with host Kwame Malcolm, on preparedness of the candidates ahead of the examination, the Municipal Education Director hinted of thorough search on the candidates.
” …West Africa Examination Council (WAEC) has given the needed orientation for supervisors and made it clear what is expected of them. The teachers themselves do not go to the examination centre, then you leave the children to go to the centre and then searched. This time we are going to do thorough searching so if you hear we are frisking their armpits etcetera understand; as males will search males and females attend to females. Due to what happened during WASSCE, WAEC has information on how candidates hide the foreign material as now it is not as open as in their shoes. They now hide it in their panties as menstrual pads, in between their belts, even they wear double nose mask and hide it in between ;under their neck collars and our muslim colleagues, thier hijabs will be searched;” she emphasised.
Mrs Kate Biney said that they will be searched to their pants.
“We will search their pants and the women invigilators can notice if one is really menstruating or has hidden a foreign material there. What is happening is unacceptable, the boys can hide it in their scrotum in between their testicles. We will feel the hijabs if it contains any material aside their hair. We know Muslim ladies do not expose their hair so we will not remove it but when we are suspicious we will ask you to remove it and shake it and wear it again and proceed;” she further explained.
Mrs Kate Biney this is to ensure no cancellation occurs because most candidates are not in to cheat and must not be made to pay for the actions and inactions of a few recalcitrant ones. She further revealed that the invigilators will not be retained in a particular class for the full tenure of the examinations but will be rotated.
Mrs Kate Biney revealed that the candidates have been well prepared for the examinations ahead.
“Even when there was a strike, candidates were going to school in mufti and teachers met to teach them and they were doing peer teaching as well.
In my catchment area, Nana Brempon, Coba Yalley and the Effia area even when the schools were locked the pupils were there being prepared. The problem is the perception of “apor” (leakage) so I conditioned them that the “apor” is the past questions and the more they kept on solving them it leaves them better prepared;” she emphasised.
The lawyer of Energy Minister Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, Baffour Awuah, has taken a swipe at the National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, after a court in Accra slapped him (Gyamfi) with GH¢500, 000 damages.
Sammy Gyamfi was ordered to pay GH¢500,000 damages to Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (NAPO) by the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) on Thursday, October 14.
This comes after the court, which was presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, ruled in favour of the minister on a defamation suit he filed in 2019 against Sammy Gyamfi.
Dr. Opoku Prempah, when he was the education minister, sued the NDC communicator for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempah’s) errand boy.
Speaking on the matter in an Asempa Radio interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Lawyer Baffour Awuah said that the GH¢500,000 damages slapped on Sammy Gyamfi is making him repent.
He added that the punishment given to Sammy Gyamfi should serve as a lesson to politicians in Ghana who are fond of making unguarded statements against their opponents.
“Today, I listen to Sammy Gyamfi and from his pronouncement, I sensed that he is changing. Let me commend him. If cases like these continue in our courts, it will make our politicians mindful of their utterances in the public space.
“The reason why I am saying this is that Sammey Gyamfi always speaks without polishing his words. He always uses harsh words without excuses. They (politicians) to court and say my lord and after coming out of the court, you hear them denigrating the judges.
“But now I observe that his (Sammy Gyamfi) utterances are changing because GH¢500,000 is not a small amount of money so it will make you change,” he said in Twi
The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has charged delegates of the party to vote against the incumbent National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, in the upcoming national delegates conference.
Asiedu Nketia, who has officially announced his bid to contest Ofosu-Ampofo for the chairmanship slop, argued that the current executive lacks the courage and the skills to face the governing New Patriotic Party in the 2024 elections.
This, he believes if not changed, could threaten the party’s chances in the upcoming general elections.
The General Secretary cited the 2019 Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election as an example where Chairman Ofosu-Ampofo, without any proper consultation, announced the party’s decision to pull out from the election after the shooting incident.
He added that Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo also asked the party’s polling agents and observers to also leave the various polling stations, a situation that portrayed an act of cowardice.
“Ofosu-Ampofo called me and I warned him against that decision but he didn’t listen. I was out of the country at the time but the information and facts I had received on the ground showed that we were winning the election, so I was against the decision. He also called John Mahama and the president also asked him not to do that but he also didn’t listen.
“So, you see, as a leader you need to fight in times of crisis and he (Ofosu-Ampofo) doesn’t have the courage to do so. As for me, everyone knows that when you threaten me, I will threaten you back so I have no fear and I am not timid and that is the kind of leadership you need to face the NPP in the upcoming 2024 elections,” he said.
Speaking with the host of Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV, Kwesi Parker-Wilson, on Friday, October 14, 2022, and monitored by GhanaWeb, Asiedu Nketiah further stated that the decision did not only cost them the seat, but it also became the basis for the NPP to abuse members of the party during the 2020 elections.
“You remember the security guys said it’s a dress rehearsal so in 2020 they abused our men and even killed about 8 persons during the general elections. But if we had persisted and stayed through the end of the by-election, NPP wouldn’t have had the courage to do what they did in 2020, including manipulating the outcome of the elections,” he added.
Asiedu Nketiah however said that none of these things have soiled the cordial working relationship he has with his National Chairman.
“I still have a very cordial relationship with Ofosu-Ampofo in spite of my decision to contest him. We still go about with our normal duties and my decision to contest the chairmanship position won’t bring about division,” he said.
The NDC goes to the polls in November 2022 to elect new national executives.
Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has received much praise for turning the political conversation away from personal jabs and onto issues, particularly economic ones.
Prior to the 2016 elections, Dr. Bawumia ran on a number of issues and criticized the National Democratic Congress, which was in power at the time, for its handling of the economy.
He claimed that the economy had been dragged down by the NDC under the leadership of John Dramani Mahama and promised a recovery under the Nana Akufo-Addo/Bawumia ticket if they were elected.
On the Cedi depreciation, the NPP touted that former President Kufuor had done better in bringing the Cedi at par with the dollar however the NDC, whom they labelled as bad managers of the economy, had allowed it to depreciate when they assumed office in 2009.
Dr. Bawumia, who was hailed as an ‘economic messiah’ however promised to restore it once NPP was elected into office.
“We will stabilize the cedi and bring down interest rates. We will transform the financial sector,” he tweeted on August 25, 2012.
Having assumed office in 2017, Vice President Bawumia while giving an account of the first 100 days in office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, indicated that they have been able to “arrest” the fall of the Ghana Cedi against the Dollar.
But the Cedi has largely lost more ground against the dollar, only intermittently stabilizing against the dollar in recent times.
Felix Kwakye Ofosu, an aide to former President John Mahama, latched out at Dr. Bawumia describing him as a ‘liar in chief’ over failed promise to stabilize the Cedi.
He said the EMT led by the Vice President has become “hopeless and hapless” as the Cedi has fast crossed GH₵11.00 against the US dollar on the forex market
“The exchange rate is hurtling towards GHC12 to a dollar. The present managers of the economy led by Bawumia are both hopeless and hapless in the face of this unprecedented catastrophe,” Kwakye Ofosu wrote on his Facebook wall on October 13.
Former deputy General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has said that the outgoing General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, should have been sacked from the party after the 2016 election.
According to him, Asiedu Nketia, who was the party’s National Campaign Director in the 2016 elections, should have been sacked because he was mainly responsible for the NDC losing that election.
In a tweet shared on Tuesday (October 12), Anyidoho added that Nketia was responsible for the loss of the Tain parliamentary seat even though the constituency is a stronghold of the NDC.
“Asiedu-Nketiah should have been SACKED from NDC at the end of the 2016 General Election, when, as GS & National Campaign Manager, he was viciously responsible for the disgraceful loss of his TAIN constituency – a very safe NDC Seat. His evil antics shall no longer be tolerated,” the tweet Anyidoho shared read.
Meanwhile, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has officially declared his intention to contest for the chairmanship position of the NDC.
Mr. Nketia made the declaration in a joint interview on Accra100.5FM and CTV morning shows, today, Thursday, October 13, 2022.
“Yes, I have the intention of picking up a form to contest the chairmanship position when nominations are opened,” the NDC scribe told joint hosts Emmanuel Quarshie (The Hitman) and Nana Out Darko.
Mr. Nketia also debunked assertions that the General Secretary position might be weakened when he hangs his boots from that role.
The NDC goes to congress on the December 17, 2022.
The National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has stated that he will be filing a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge a decision of the High Court that went against him.
Sammy Gyamfi had been dragged to court by the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of some two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempeh’s) errand boy.
This was during the period when Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh was the Minister of Education in 2009.
After years in court, the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) in Accra, presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah on Thursday, October 13, 2022, ruled against Sammy Gyamfi, ordering him to pay GH¢500,000 damages to the complainant, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh.
In his response in a post on Facebook, Sammie Gyamfi stated that while the court ruled against him, he disagreed with the decision, adding that the court erred.
“After three years of litigation, the court today held that the said comment was defamatory and consequently awarded damages of GH500,000.00 and cost of GH50,000.00 against me.
“It is my considered view that the honorable court erred as its decision is contrary to the evidence that was put before the court. More importantly, I hold the view that the court’s decision to totally disregard the testimony of my witness, DW1, Mafus Jibril who testified that the said Seidu Mba was in fact the errand boy of Plaintiff and was in his company when he (DW1) was attacked in Manhyia sometime in 2012, constitutes a grave miscarriage of justice,” he wrote.
He added that he will take up the case in a higher court, hopeful that he will be served justice.
“Consequently, my lawyers will be filing a notice of appeal and an application for stay of execution to challenge the decision of the High Court forthwith. It’s my hope that justice will be served,” he added.
Commenting on his victory, the Minister of Energy, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, issued a statement to express his happiness about the outcome of the case.
“A declaration that the words complained of and published by the defendant and contained in paragraph 14 herein are defamatory of the Plaintiff’s character.
“An order of the honourable court directed at the defendant to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology with the same prominence of the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.
“An order of the honourable court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, assigns, servants and any person claiming authority from the defendant from further making/or publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
“The sum of One million Ghana Cedis (GHS1,000,000) in damages for the defamation,” the statement said.
The National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi, has been ordered to pay GH¢500,000 damages to the Minister of Energy, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, by the General Jurisdiction High Court (12) in Accra.
This comes after the court, which was presided over by Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah, ruled in favour of the minister on a defamation suit he filed in 2019 against Sammy Gyamfi.
Dr. Opoku Prempah, when he was the education minister, sued the NDC communicator for alleging that one of the suspects arrested in connection with the kidnapping of two Canadian girls in Kumasi, Seidu Mba, was his (Dr. Prempah’s) errand boy.
The energy minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Manhyia North, asked that the court awards him GH¢1,000,000 in damages against Gyamfi.
“A declaration that the words complained of and published by the defendant and contained in paragraph 14 herein are defamatory of the Plaintiff’s character.
“An order of the honourable court directed at the defendant to publish an unqualified retraction and an apology with the same prominence of the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.
“An order of the honourable court for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, his agents, assigns, servants and any person claiming authority from the defendant from further making/or publishing any defamatory words against the Plaintiff.
“The sum of One million Ghana Cedis (GHS1,000,000) in damages for the defamation,” a declaration statement by the energy minister read.
During the hearing on Thursday (October 13, 2022), Justice Charles Gyamfi Danquah ruled that Sammy Gyamfi, by his comments, defamed Dr. Opoku Prempeh, asaaseradio.com reports.
In addition to the GH¢500,000, the judge ordered Sammy Gyamfi to apologise and retract the defamatory statement he made with the same prominence the defamatory words received within seven days after the judgment.
He also ordered the NDC National Communicator not to make or publish defamatory words against the energy minister.
A Communication Team Member of the National Democratic Congress(NDC), TT Caternor, has advised government to intensify its fight against illegal mining by adopting technological innovations to monitor mining equipment and concessions.
He is advocating the use of trackers to monitor excavators’ operations, which he said are critical industrial machines.
Speaking with Kwaku Owusu Adjei on Adwenekasa on Accra-based Original FM 91.9, he said, “Just put a tracking device on the excavator, and so when it is registered, you will track it. Any time it is moving, you will be told where they are. Immediately you see that a lot of them are converging around Dunkwa, for instance, it should trigger something, like a probe, as to what those excavators are doing in Dunkwa.”
He tasked the government to implement measures and enforce mining regulations to bring sanity to the small-scale mining (SSM) sector.
Excavators are one of the main pieces of equipment used by illegal miners in their operation, which leaves devastating effects on Ghana’s land and water resources.
President Akufo-Addo believes the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, can be won if it is not politicized.
He holds the view that until the menace is treated with a nationalistic approach, the fight against it cannot be won.
He says Ghana cannot be compared to other nations where governments have enough time to implement their plans and guarantee smooth development.
“There is very little you can do in terms of infrastructure; we will try our best. We have a four-year term like they have in America and not like they have in other nations where there are five terms.
We will Invest in the health sector, invest in Education, invest in the economic infrastructure, but all these must be geared towards creating opportunities, especially for young people to be able to realize their full potential and be able to find jobs in the economy. I think that’s what we will be looking at,” he said in an interview on Voice of America.
The leader of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 election said another focus of a new NDC government would be strengthening public institutions in the country and intensifying the fight against corruption.
He reiterated his calls for the review of the 1992 constitution. He believes that after 26 years of using the constitution, it will be right that some tweaking is done to help build the country.
Contender for General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has said his ability to speak in various local languages is a major boost for his campaign to be elected General Secretary of the opposition NDC.
Speaking on Asempa FM monitored by MyNewsGh.com, Mr. Afriyie Ankrah said he considers his local langauge skills a major selling point to delegates across the country with whom he relates well, although he didn’t mention any other candidate’s name.
“I can speak many local languages. Everywhere I go I speak their language.”, he boosted of his human relations and language skills.
The NDC General Secretary hopeful said a similar language statement he made in the past was misconstrued to mean another contender cannot speak Twi but according to him, he didn’t mention anyone’s name or referred to any person.
Another contender, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey has been accused of being unable to speak the popular local language Twi or Akan lanaguages. His critics said this could affect his relationship with the predominantly Akan speaking Radio and TV stations across the country.
However, Mr. Ankrah said he never referred to any other aspirant when he was touting his local language skills.
He said he was only “marketing” himself and language was one of his skills and selling advantages.
“I didn’t say someone cannot speak Twi… I said Twi language is my plus… it is one of my major selling points. I speak Ga.. I speak Ewe, I speak Twi…. … There is no constituency in Ghana that I don’t have a contact…” He said.
Mr. Afriyie Ankrah spoke Ga, Ewe and Twi to listeners of Ekosii Sen to prove his point.
The race to replace Johnson Asiedu Nketia as General Secretary has become very heated.
Among persons who have expressed interest in the position including, former Obuasi district chairman of the NDC, Abdul Ishaq Farrakhan; ex-Deputy Minister of Finance, Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey; current Deputy General Secretary of the party, Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor and Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
Mr. Fiifi Kwettey and Elvis Ankrah both won opinion polls conducted by Kevin Taylor and Ghanaweb respectively.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, was the subject of an intense cross-examination at the Sekondi High Court on Monday, October 10, 2022.
The MP, whose citizenship at the time of filing her nomination for parliamentary election is being challenged in court, was subjected to questioning over documents of her Ivorian citizenship renunciation presented to the court.
Counsel for the petitioner in the case, Bright Agyekum, sought to present to the court that the MP’s attempt to allude to the documents renouncing her Ivorian citizenship is nothing less than an afterthought.
Challenging the MP’s testimony, Mr Agyekum argued that the documents of renunciation alluded to by Dorcas Affo-Toffey did not exist before the commencement of the trial against her.
The lawyer for the petitioner referenced a letter dated January 24, 2019, in which the MP wrote to the Attorney General of Ivory Coast that she was renouncing her citizenship.
The lawyer further mentioned another letter dated January 29, 2019, in which the Ivorian Attorney General’s Office acknowledged receipt of the letter issued by the Jomoro MP on January 24, 2019.
“I am putting it to you that both letters were complete afterthoughts,” Mr. Agyekum is quoted in a report by Dailyguidenetwork.com in his argument that Affo-Toffey did not qualify to run for the Jomoro seat as MP in 2020.
The petitioner’s lawyer also questioned Dorcas Affo-Toffey on why she had to remind the Ivorian authorities in March and April 2021 about her intention to renounce her citizenship way back in 2019.
The defendant, in response, said she was minded to do so because of the case in court.
“So the Ivorian authorities issued you with an attestation on April 12, 2021,” the petitioner’s lawyer further questioned, to which the MP responded in the affirmative.
Bright Agyekum further said that the stamp appearing on the documents attached to her witness statement was not an original one emanating from the Ivorian Justice Ministry, but the MP disagreed with the assertion.
In her case, Madam Affo-Toffey alluded that her Ivorian citizenship renunciation was automatically effected by her showing of interest in doing so. This, she said, was provided for in Article 48 of the Ivorian Nationality Code.
But the petitioner’s lawyer, during his cross-examination of the MP, suggested that the provisions she alluded to do not cover her.
“I cannot answer. I will leave it with my lawyer to answer that question,” she responded.
Background
A resident of the Jomoro Constituency, Emuah Kofie Nuba-Mpataba, in 2021 filed a suit accusing Dorcas Affo-Toffey of not being a Ghanaian citizen at the time of filing her parliamentary contest nomination.
According to the petitioner, the NDC MP, by the provision of Ghana’s electoral laws, was not qualified to contest in the 2020 parliamentary election because she held dual citizenship.
Two big names for a big party position, is the kind of story headline that is fit for this kind of political race that is expected in Ghana’s current, biggest opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
On either side, both Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, and Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo have credits of giant political achievements to ride on, but now, the two men have to face it off for the top position of Chairman of the NDC.
While there is no official final list from the party, it already looks like there is going to be a straight fight between the two personalities: Asiedu Nketiah as the longest-serving General Secretary of the NDC, and Ofosu-Ampofo as the one-term Chairman seeking re-election.
In this political pedigree article by GhanaWeb, we take a look at all of the things that put either of these two candidates ahead of each other, as well as what NDC delegates might be looking out for when they go to the polls in November 2022.
Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo:
Currently the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo has declared his intention for re-election.
This is due to the fact that his election as chairman in November 2018 comes to an end soon and he would need a reaffirmation of his performance through another endorsement from his party members.
But it has been a long political career for him, starting off in this trade in 1994, when he was appointed as the District Chief Executive for the Fanteakwa North District of the Eastern Region, by Jerry John Rawlings.
In 1996, he run for parliament on the ticket of the NDC in the same district and won, representing the people of the constituency until he lost his third re-election bid in 2004 to the New Patriotic Party’s candidate, Kwadwo Agyei Addo.
Having served in the second and third parliaments of the fourth republic of Ghana, Ofosu-Ampofo again tried his shot at the parliamentary seat in 2008 but got unlucky once more.
His next political job came when he won the National Organiser position of the NDC but on the assumption of power in 2009, John Evans Atta Mills appointed him the Regional Minister for the Eastern Region.
Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo then moved on from there to serve as Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, his last political portfolio before he was elected as the NDC’s National Chairman in 2018.
Under his tenure, he was unsuccessful in helping the party and John Dramani Mahama in wrestling power from the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government in the 2020 general elections.
But that loss gave the country a historic win: the first time parliament is hung, with a split of a perfect number of Members of Parliament, as well as the Speaker of Parliament being a member of the opposition for the first time ever.
Speaking in a Ghanaian Times report, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo stated that one of his achievements is that that the party had become more attractive under his leadership.
He has also likened himself to the biblical Jesus Christ.
“The delegates must look no further than Ofosu-Ampofo as I am prepared to take the NDC to the Promised Land because you do not change the team that turned around the fortunes of the party after it suffered a humiliating defeat in 2016 and I liken myself to Christ when he was asked by the disciples if he is the Messiah.
“Jesus said to them, the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, what more do you want to see? I am the National Chairman of NDC and the party was in disarray due to our humiliating defeat in 2016 since it was not attractive at the time but I played key roles together with my team to turn the around fortunes of the party during the 2020 elections,” he said.
He has also stated that but for the use of state-sponsored security personnel, the NDC would have won more parliamentary seats in the 2020 elections, including Techiman South, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Zabzugu, Essikado-Ketan, and others.
“I have what it takes to bring the NDC back to power again however, I believe together with my team, we also managed to snatch seats that have never been won by the party in a long time, including Tema East, Ayensuano, among others, which demonstrates our competence and I am hopeful members, supporters, sympathisers, faithful and well-wishers of the party to renew my mandate to serve for another four-year term,” he appealed.
Johnson Asiedu Nketiah:
Asiedu Nketiah, the man popularly known as General Mosquito, is the face of the other main contender for the National Chairman position of the party.
As the current General Secretary of the NDC, he is one of the most powerful people in the party, having served in the role since 2005.
Born on December 24, 1956, at Seikwa in the Brong Ahafo Region, he trained in petty trading, Akpeteshie distilling, palm wine tapping, and a drinking bar.
After educating himself at the University of Ghana, he practiced as a banker before entering into politics.
His entrance onto the political scene came when he contested and won the Wenchi District Assembly elections of 1989, following which he was elected to the Consultative Assembly in 1992.
He held that position for 12 years, being part of the team that drafted Ghana’s current constitution – the 1992 constitution.
In 1992, he entered parliament as the Member of Parliament for the Wenchi West constituency and served for 12 years.
During his time in parliament, he served on several committees such as the Appointments Committee, Finance Committee, Public Accounts Committee, Chairman Mines and Energy Committee, and Minority spokesperson on Food, Agriculture, and Cocoa Affairs.
From 1997 to 2001, Asiedu Nketiah served as a Deputy Minister for Food and Agriculture (Crops).
After he decided to say goodbye to parliamentary work, he stood for the General Secretary position of the NDC and won overwhelming in the 2005 party elections.
As the third General Secretary of the party, he led the party to win the 2008 and 2012 elections, giving the country presidents John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama.
There have been several achievements accorded to his credit, including the same glory his other contender, Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo boasts of: giving Ghana its first hung parliament and first Speaker of Parliament from the opposition party.
After serving as General Secretary of the NDC for 17 years, he had announced the hanging of those boots and the desire to continue to lead the party, but this time as the National Chairman.
The pedigrees of both Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo and Johnson Asiedu Nketiah would play massive roles in the decisions of National Democratic Congress delegates when the party goes to the polls later this year.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has set the record straight on the NDCs decision to withdraw from the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency by-election in 2019.
The decision by the NDC to withdraw from the by-election came after people believed to be National Security operatives allegedly caused harm to scores of voters who were at polling stations to exercise their franchise.
In an interview with Citizen Kofi Owusu, the host of the Adekyee Mu Nsem Morning Show on Ahotor 92.3 FM, Mr. Ampofo said, “for the first time state security agencies with police cars, wearing police uniforms, with assault rifles were attacking ordinary civilians who are coming to vote.”
While attempting to paint a picture of the gory scenes of the day, the NDC Chairman said, “people were injured and admitted to the hospital, people with broken legs. In the candidate’s house, it looked like a war zone with blood on the ground.”
Narrating the series of engagements and incidents that followed the brutality that was meted on the voters, the National Chairman said both the General Secretary of the NDC, Mr Asiedu Nketia, and former President John Dramani Mahama were widely consulted.
“When we assessed the situation, we were like we should give ourselves time to see how things will go. There was a man who didn’t get the reason why he should leave his home to go and vote,” Mr Ampofo said.
He said security experts were marshalled to assess the situation and advice on the way forward for the party.
“I never just got up to say that we were pulling out completely,” he continued adding that the candidates also decided against going to their polling station to cast their ballot based on the security situation at the time.
“President Mahama was busy, so I called him and explained everything to him. I consulted him, and he said that if that was going to save lives, we should take a decision,” Mr Ampofo said.
“There was a major consultation before that decision was taken,” he added, further explaining that though the General Secretary of the party was out of the country at the time, Mr Asiedu Nketia was still consulted to advise on the necessary steps that ought to be taken.
“I have never regretted my decision,” he stated categorically, arguing that “if people are saying I’m weak, then so be it, but it was not a weak decision because as a result of that decision, the whole world’s attention was brought to Ghana.
Mr Ampofo claimed that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was forced by the international community to take action. “They were forced to set up a commission of inquiry, and he didn’t use the report for anything. He quickly passed a law to outlaw vigilantism and other related offences, and it attracted world attention,” he said.
Based on what the NDC has experienced in the past, the National Chairman said the party was “doing those things that are necessary to ensure that this does not occur in 2024.”
“There are a number of urgent actions we are taking to ensure that the use of military and police brutalities on election day will be outlawed through our parliament and through laws, and through advocacy with other key international and national civil society organizations and diplomats,” maintained.
Many people who recognize his face from a 2017 interview GhanaWeb had with him, would remember those words of his that became an almost household catchphrase, “go and ask your grandfather.”
This was after a reporter asked him for clarification to a proverb he used in the interview, to which he furiously retorted with those words.
It has now emerged that the man, Noah Dogah, is vying for a top position in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ada Constituency of the Greater Accra Region.
In a poster that has been sighted online by GhanaWeb, Noah, who is running on the motto, Common Sense, wants to become the Chairman of the NDC in the constituency.
In 2017, GhanaWeb posted the video of Noah Dogah where he made the comments on the back of a chaotic election for the District Chief Executive position in the Ada constituency.
Furious about some of the things that happened on the day, including accusations that they had been sabotaged, Noah Dogah, an assemblyman in the area at the time, explained that he was also brutalized.
“I will face them one by one, and they will see what will happen. I’m a traditionalist; I’m not a Christian so I’m also going to pray because they butchered me, they twisted my neck. They seized my phone, my money, my constitutional book is lost.
“You were there. We were telling you that let the people get out of the room because we know the plans that the people set. We told you from the beginning but you took it for granted. Now, you saw it with your naked eyes. They came into the room first in their suits and we suspected that they are not National Security. We walked them out and before we were counting, they disconnected all the power.
“You saw it, don’t let me be bias. They are totally failures. The officers in that room, they connived with the criminals to rob us so we are telling them that Sarah is not the DCE and she can never be DCE for Ada. Look, when you pluck a fruit, wait till it is ripe before you eat; don’t eat unripe fruits,” he said.
Asked what the meaning of those last words were, Noah Dogah retorted that the reporter should go and ask his grandfather.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) goes to the polls later this year to election executives for all its regional and district offices across the country.
Mr William Kpormatsi, a former Parliamentary aspirant of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Akatsi South, has presented over 1,562 Mathematical sets to candidates of this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).
The sets were distributed during the second ordinary meeting of the third session of the first assembly to the various Assembly members within the Municipality for onward distribution to the schools preparing for this year’s BECE.
Presenting the items, at the Akatsi South Municipal Assembly Hall, Mr Kpormatsi, also a businessman, said the gesture was made upon request from Mr Raphael Ahiable, the Presiding Member for the Assembly.
The donation, according to Mr Kpormatsi, was one of the many he had made over the years even before he got into politics.
He said his ‘William Kpormatsi Foundation’ a scheme targeting brilliant but needy students in society had also been providing educational sponsorship for the needy.
He said that this year’s donation was timely “since our children will commence writing their examinations from the 17th of this month.”
Mr Kpormatsi called on parents to ensure they offered the needed assistance to their wards for a successful exercise.
“We need to also allow our children to venture more into technical education to provide self-sufficiency in future,” he said.
Mr Kofitsey Martin Nyahe, the Municipal Chief Executive for Akatsi South, expressed appreciation to Mr Kpormatsi for his continuous benevolent acts.
He appealed to members of the assembly to release the items to the required beneficiaries.
Some assembly members the GNA interacted with commended Mr Kpormatsi for contributing towards ensuring a high standard of education in the area.
An aspiring Constituency Chairman for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency in the Central Region has become paralyzed a day before appearing before a vetting Committee in the Constituency.
Information gathered revealed that the aspirant, Vicent Koomsom, 24 hours prior to the vetting exercise suddenly lost the strength in his legs as soon as he got down from his vehicle.
The incident has thrown family and friends into a state of shock as they believe there’s been some spiritual orchestration because he’d been very strong and active all this while.
He’s said to have driven his own vehicle to where he became paralyzed.
Vicent Koomsom was eventually disqualified from the Chairmanship race for unknown reasons. He later filed an appeal to the Regional Vetting Committee but his disqualification was still upheld.
According to his supporters, the man has helped the party in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese Constituency and it’s time he should be allowed to lead the party to wrestle power in the 2024 general election.
They warned that the NDC will lose in the constituency if Vicent Koomsom is denied the opportunity to contest the position.
He appeared at the NDC Central Regional Office in a wheelchair to defend his disqualification but the earlier decision was not overturned and consequently filed another petition yet to be studied.
Vicent Koomsom’s supporters have accused former Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu who was the 2020 Parliamentary candidate for the area of having a hand in his disqualification.
However, Felix Kwakye Ofosu has vehemently denied that accusation saying the vetting Committee used the party’s rules and regulations in the discharge of their duty and was fair to all aspirants that appeared before them.
The largest opposition party in Ghana, the National Democratic Congress, has described the current efforts by the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo government against illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) as mere ‘window dressing’.
According to the party, the Akufo-Addo government only engages in rhetoric rather than cracking the whip on its own officials and officials of the New Patriotic (NPP) who have been caught engaging in ‘galamsey’.
It has, therefore, demanded that President Akufo-Addo, as the first sign of his seriousness in the fight ‘galamsey’, orders the prosecution of five persons including his past appointees and leading members of the NPP.
Here are the five people NDC wants Akufo-Addo to prosecute
Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong Boateng
The first person the NDC is demanding that the government prosecutes is the first Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation under Akufo-Addo’s presidency, Prof. Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, for allegedly fuelling and profiting from illegal mining.
The former minister, in 2006 contested in the NPP flagbearership race for the December 2008 National Presidential Elections but lost to the current president, Akufo-Addo.
Kwabena Frimpong Boateng is a Ghanaian physician and cardiothoracic surgeon who established the National Cardiothoracic Centre and the Ghana Red Cross Society. He is also the President of the Ghana Heart Foundation and was the Chief Executive Officer of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra.
Prof Boateng has been accused by some Ghanaians including veteran journalist Kweku Boateng of owning a ‘galamsey’ site.
Claims that the renowned medical practitioner was involved in ‘galamsey’ heightened in 2020 when 500 excavators seized from illegal miners went missing under his watch.
Former secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Charles Bissue
The second person the NDC wants prosecuted is the former secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, under President Akufo-Addo, Charles Bissue.
Mr. Bissue, in addition to his rule as the secretary to the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, was a presidential staffer. He was also a two-term Western Regional Secretary of the NPP and a member of the National Council of the party.
He recently indicated that he was going to contest in the race for the NPP’s General Secretary position but withdrew at the last minute.
Charles Bissue was implicated in an investigative documentary by Anas Aremeyaw Anas in 2019 as an alleged enabler for galamsey.
Bissue allegedly facilitated for ORR Resource Enterprise, a company seeking to circumvent laid down processes to be given clearance for its mining operations.
The matter was referred to Special Prosecutor, then Martin Amidu, but Bissue was cleared of any wrongdoing by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service before Amidu could finish with his investigations.
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako
The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, a.k.a. Chairman Wontumi, is one of the names on the list of the NDC.
He has since 2018 been often accused without evidence of being the El Chapo of galamsey in Ghana.
The involvement of Wontumi in galamsey was highlighted by then Minority lawmaker Adam Mutawakilu in a July 2018 press conference in parliament.
“…The chief of Jakobu came out clearly [to tell me] that the CEO of the forestry commission and Wontumi, chairman of NPP in the Ashanti Region, are engaged in galamsey,” the former MP said.
Wontumi’s name came up again recently, when the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, directed the Forestry Commission to suspend the operations of Akonta Mining Company in the Tano Nimiri Forest Reserve of the Amenfi West Municipal Assembly.
According to a statement issued by the Public Affairs office of the Ministry on Friday, September 30, 2022, the company owned by Wontumi, has been engaging in mining activities in the forest without a permit.
Former First Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central, Horace Ekow Ewusi:
The former First Vice-Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Central, Horace Ekow Ewusi, is another name on the list of the NDC.
Ekow Ewusi was supposedly arrested by the police over the 500 missing excavators used for illegal mining in 2020.
His arrest was after Prof Frimpong Boateng issued a letter directing the Criminal Investigation Department to arrest and interrogate him after learning that former Ekow Ewusi had sold some of the confiscated equipment from illegal miners.
Horace Ekow Ewusi also was caught on tape discussing galamsey plans with a former Minister of Environment, Science, and Technology.
In the said tape, Ekow Ewusi was heard detailing to Professor Frimpong Boateng how they can use galamsey to finance party activities.
He stated: “The last time you met my MP [Elvis Donkor] in Parliament, he told you that he will also need a machine to work with and you even asked him to come and see me because I have a lot of these excavators.”
Professor Frimpong Boateng however denied the content of the leaked audio in a GhanaWeb interview.
Former aide to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Andy Owusu
The last name on the list of five names is the former aide to the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, Andy Owusu.
Andy Owusu was captured on tape with other persons who were purported to have received bribes in the exposé by Anas Aremeyaw Anas on galamsey in 2019.
Investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas claimed that Andy Owusu charged GH¢50,000 for his services during undercover investigations and was paid a total of fifteen thousand cedis (GH¢15,000.00).
“Mr. Andy Owusu, a link man for Mr. Bissue charged us fifty thousand cedis (GH¢ 50,000.00) to get us through to him. We negotiated for forty thousand Cedis (GH¢40,000.00) and he accepted it. Out of this amount he accepted part payment of fifteen thousand cedis (15,000.00). Mr. Andy Owusu was also the one who told us how much Mr. Bissue was ready to accept to fast track the process for us. Mr. Andy Owusu also linked us to “school boy” a national security operative for our safety at the illegal mining site”, he posted on his Facebook page.
The governing New Patriotic Party(NPP) has taken a swipe at the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) after the latter described its effort in fighting illegal mining in the country as a scam.
Mr. Owusu Bempah accused the NDC of enabling and festering galamsey when they had the opportunity to pull the plug.
“We are talking about a party that shamelessly launched the Youth in Small Scale Mining programme in the Eastern Region, which apparently opened the floodgate for galamsey.”
“Of course, the galamsey situation got so bad under Mahama in 2015, such that he had to hang his shame on the people of Kyebi, tagging the place as the headquarters of Galamsay in the country.”
He further accused the NDC of enabling galamsey kingpin, Aisha Huang to thrive in Ghana.
“For those that may have missed this; the erstwhile Mahama government issued an infinite resident permit to Aisha Huang.”
“Precisely on 28th March 2015, Aisha Huang was given an indefinite resident permit to live here in perpetuity and to engage in her illegal activities. This happened under the Mahama administration. Meanwhile, she was unsuccessful in getting the permit during the President Kufour era.”
“So you see, any dastardly attempt by the NDC to rationalize the political economy of galamsay must be roundedly condemned. It is beyond dispute that under John Mahama-led government, the national record of the deleterious impact of galamsay left a lot to be desired. It was simply unprecedented.”
He explained that all the Akufo-Addo administration has been doing is simply managing a very bad situation as well as it can by the deft and relatively constructive application of the statutory laws of the land.
The National Communications Officer of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi while addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, October 6, 2022, said the President is not backing his efforts with action.
He described the measures and strategies put in place by government to win the war against the illegality as a clear deception, alleging that some members of the NPP and government are behind galamsey in the country.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the Akufo-Addo government has failed woefully in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey).
The party describes the measures and strategies put in place by government to fight galamsey as a clear deception.
Speaking at a press conference at the NDC headquarters in Accra, National Communications Officer for NDC, Sammy Gyamfi alleged that some members of the NPP and government are behind galamsey in the country.
“The so-called fight against galamsey by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia/NPP government is a scam and has been a lost battle from day one. This is because, there has never been any genuine commitment or political will on the part of the President to combat the menace.”
“President Akufo-Addo has proven to be a leader who has specialized in talk without backing same with deeds. Today, our beloved country stands at a cross-road of unprecedented economic mess and unprecedented environmental degradation under the watch of President Akufo-Addo and Alhaji Bawumia,” he said.
Sammy Gyamfi at the press conference further slammed the president and the Minister of Lands and Natural Resource, Samuel Abu Jinapor over the galamsey menace and accused them of “shifting the blame to the chieftaincy institution.”
“This latest attempt by the Akufo-Addo government to blame the failed “galamsey” fight on chiefs and community leaders is shameful, to say the least and must be condemned in no uncertain terms.”
“It is about time President Akufo-Addo understood the important duties of the high office he currently occupies. He is the President of the Republic and the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed forces. As President, he has authority and control over the security services and coercive powers of State.”
“The mineral resources of the country are vested in him in trust for the people. And therefore he has the ultimate responsibility to ensure compliance with the mineral and mining laws of the country and the prosecution of those who breach same. More importantly, only he has the power to hire and fire appointees of his who engage in illegal mining. No attempt to shift or share the blame for his failed “Galamsey” fight will wash.”
For the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the General Secretary election of 2022 will perhaps be the most contentious since the outgoing executive, Asiedu Nketiah, overwhelmingly won his first election in December 2005.
Since then, there have been little doubts about the influence and power that Asiedu Nketiah, known commonly as General Mosquito, has brought to the party and its overall political outlook.
With his announced exit, a number of candidates have already started putting themselves up to take up the soon-to-be vacant slot.
From the obvious to the surprise entrants, there have so far been four major names tipped for the General Secretary position of the NDC: Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor, Abdul Ishaq Farrakhan, Fifi Kwetey, and Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
In this GhanaWeb article, we take a look at what each of these candidates bring to the table.
This is also to look at what kinds of pedigrees each of these candidates have in helping the party which has been in opposition since January 2017, get a hold of political power once again.
We begin with Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor:
Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor is the current Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
As someone in that position, to be vying for the substantive position of General Secretary, Dr. Otokunor brings a lot of firsthand experience to the job. In fact, in the case of all the contenders, he is most likely the most knowledgeable about the workings or otherwise of the office.
He also brings in experience from his role as the Deputy Director of Research of the NDC, and the Registrar for the Ghana Institute of Social Democracy (GISD).
Dr. Otokunor previously contested in the NDC primaries for the Ablekuma Central Constituency parliamentary seat in 2015 and lost.
Previously, he served as the Deputy Coordinator for the National Youth Authority (NYA) under the John Dramani Mahama government.
Fifi Kwetey:
Fifi Kwetey is not a novice in the NDC party and surely not an easy contender in this race.
He is the former Member of Parliament for Ketu South: the constituency considered as the NDC’s ‘world bank’ for votes and support in the country.
After serving as MP for two consecutive terms, he backed out on his own, focusing his energies into other commitments.
But on what he brings to the table of the General Secretary slot of the NDC, his influence as a former MP is not the only quality there is.
Fifi Kwetey’s knowledge in finance and economic matters is something that cannot be overstepped.
This is evidenced in the fact that he was the Deputy Minister of Finance from 2009 to 2013, under the presidency of John Evans Atta Mills of blessed memory.
Under the presidency of John Dramani Mahama, his previous work and experiences earned him the appointment as the Minister of State at the Presidency in charge of Financial and Allied Institutions.
The outspoken, articulate former MP also once served as Ghana’s Minister of Food and Agriculture, and Minister for Transport.
Fifi Kwetey has however not held any direct party executive position but there is no doubt that within the ranks of the party, he is quite popular and commands quite a following.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah:
The next person on GhanaWeb’s list is Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
This candidate is yet another strong contender for the position of the General Secretary slot of the NDC and he brings as much to the table.
While he has never won an election at the party level, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah has served in other executive positions of the NDC.
He is the current Director of Elections of the party and also served as the Deputy National Campaign Manager in the 2008 elections.
He was also the National Campaign Coordinator for the 2012 presidential campaigns of the National Democratic Congress for both Presidents John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama.
He was also appointed Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development by President John Atta Mills. And then again, he was the Minister of Sports under Mahama, and then a Minister of State at the Office of the President.
Elvis Afriyie Ankrah was also a parliamentary candidate in the Ayawaso West Wuogon constituency election of December 2000 elections, although he lost.
So, without a doubt, the competition this candidate brings to the General Secretary of the NDC race is one that will give all others a real run for their monies.
As an experienced politician, Elvis hopes to take over Asiedu Nketiah’s job and if it is anything to go by, his energy makes him perhaps, the best fit to take over the General Secretary position from the outgoing executive; who has equally exhibited a lot of energy in his role.
Abdul Ishaq Farrakhan:
Finally, another candidate vying for the position of General Secretary of the NDC is Abdul Ishaq Farrakhan.
Mentioned as a possible replacement for Johnson Asiedu Nketiah even though he is yet to officially state his bid to run, it is worth mentioning that in terms of political clouts, Farrakhan is the least most competitive candidate in this race so far.
This will however not be the first time Abdul Ishaq Farrakhan has been tipped to be the General Secretary of the NDC.
In 2014, he was the only person who dared to challenge General Mosquito for the party’s General Secretary position, losing out comfortably.
The 52-year-old previously served as a district chairman in the Obuasi Municipality in the Ashanti Region.
In 2018, Abdul Ishaq Farrakhan was one of 11 people who contested in the party’s Deputy General Secretary elections and lost to Dr. Peter Boamah Otokunor.
The boldness and consistency in trying to lead the party at the level of the General Secretary position is one of the qualities that this candidate brings to the table.
It however remains an open contest with the possibility for any kind of surprises and GhanaWeb will continue to keep its eyes and ears close to the NDC and report all updates to its readers.
Hopeson Adorye, a former New Patriotic Party candidate for the Kpone Katamanso seat, claimed that Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen is a person of action.
He said that the minister has long been committed to the idea of industrialisation in an interview with Okay FM in Accra on October 3.
Adorye said that the rumored New Patriotic Party flagbearer candidate was instrumental in securing Ghana as the location for the Secretariat of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
With his vision of industrialization, the former NPP parliamentary candidate believes the country will progress economically under the presidency of Alan Kyerematen.
“Alan is a cool person and a doer. He is not going to be a talkative but action-oriented person. Nations that have developed have based on industrialization and with Alan Kyerematen, it is not because of President Akufo-Addo’s appointment that he is working on industries.
“When he became Trade Minister, he pursued it and lobbied for AfCFTA headquarters to be in Ghana. If somebody like this, with an industrialization vision, when he becomes president, you will see that the country will also be driven by industrialization. Industrialization will reduce hardship and the Cedi’s depreciation. Our only hope is Alan Kyerematen,” Adorye said.
Background
The New Patriotic Party, is bent on breaking the eight-year rotational power cycle between itself and the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC.
Ahead of that, it is billed to elect a flagbearer next year. Some of the names which have popped up besides Alan Kyerematen include Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong, and Former NPP General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong.
Political analysts however predict that the contest is going to be a two-horse race between Alan Kyerematen and Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.
Member of the opposition National Democratic Congress Communication Team on Entertainment, Arts and Culture, Baba Sadiq, has schooled Hopeson Adoryeon how tickets were generated for the Global Citizen Festival after the New Patriotic Party member alleged that he had contracted 75 people to boo the president at the event.
Sitting in as a guest on the United Showbiz Show aired on October 1, 2022, Baba disclosed that every ticket generated for the Global Citizen Festival was traced to an IP, which makes it impossible for one person to get more tickets after they have registered.
“He mentioned that you could just go online and buy a ticket to the concert. You see the life of a liar, he doesn’t even understand the ticket. He doesn’t even understand that you cannot even buy tickets.
“The way the event was structured, you cant even go online and get 25 tickets. You have to take action. There is something called an IP address and he doesn’t know. I took my time and understood,” he said.’
According to the former 3Music Boss, after Hopeson accused him and others of contracting 75 people to boo the president, some people in the NPP reached out to him not to take Hopeson seriously.
“Even his people in government are telling me that forget about this guy, this is not well. His people in government look at him and say forget about this guy because his own Vice President he didn’t go easy on, is it you he will go easy on?” he disclosed.
The treatment meted out to some employees of the regional health service who applied for the position of district directors of the health service in the most recent hiring process by the Ghana Health Service has been referred to as “unfair” by the Upper West Region National Democratic Congress (NDC) Caucus in Parliament (GHS).
The eight applicants from the region who received the highest national score of 75.5% were all allegedly excluded for unjustified reasons, according to the complaint, and the procedure was not transparent.
The Secretary of the Upper West NDC Caucus in Parliament, Dr Sebastian N. Sandaare, made the call at a press conference in Parliament yesterday.
Discrimination
Dr Sandaare, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Daffiama-Bussie-Issa, said before November 2021 the GHS commenced internal recruitment to fill vacant district-director positions across the country.
It said the process, which involved an initial shortlisting of candidates, a written examinations and a face-to-face assessment interview, saw eight staff in the Upper West Region being shortlisted for the written exam and the subsequent assessment interview.
“It is worthy of note that all eight applicants were successful at the written exam. In fact, the highest national score of 77.5 per cent came from the region with a regional average score of 50.7 per cent,” he said.
“However, and curiously, in the next stage which consisted of the face-to-face interview, results of which were not made public, none of the applicants was deemed to be successful,” he said.
Dr Sandaare said the GHS went ahead to make appointments without any form of notification to the applicants, some of them were currently acting as district directors in the UWR, on the outcome of the interview.
Unjustified excuses
However, he said following a persistent request for the results of the interview and a justification for the failure to appoint anyone from the region, a letter dated August 26, 2022, from the office of the Director-General of the GHS indicated that six out of the eight applicants did not have the requisite knowledge and understanding of the management of district health directorates.
Per the letter, he said the other two applicants were disqualified because they had not served the required number of years to qualify them for the position.
“We consider the recruitment process as unjust, unfair, discriminatory and an abuse of the rights of the applicants,” he said.
Ensure regional balance
Given the treatment meted out to the applicants from the region, Dr Sandaare expressed worry that the conduct of the GHS could be “a big disincentive” to staff who had dedicated themselves to serve in one of the most deprived regions of the country”.
“It also communicates the unfortunate impression that the staff in the region are undeserving of such appointments and can thus negatively affect the staff turnover in a region that is already struggling with staffing deficit,” he said.
A presidential hopeful for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kojo Bonsu, has said that the party will struggle to secure victory in the general elections of 2024 if his face is not on the ballot paper.
According to him, Ashanti members of the NDC have not had the opportunity to lead the party into an election before, and as such, his election as the flagbearer will attract a lot of voters from the region to cast their votes from him.
Kojo Bonsu also explained that it has not been easy serving as a member of the NDC, especially in the Ashanti Region, for obvious reasons, but he has continuously stood his ground and worked hard to ensure the party becomes more attractive in the region.
Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Oyerepa TV and monitored by GhanaWeb, the former Mayor of Kumasi observed that although “data has shown that Ashantis predominantly vote for the NPP,” his election as a flagbearer will bring a “new era to the party (NDC).
“If I become the flagbearer of the party, the NDC will secure a lot of votes in the Ashanti region. This means I will break the monopoly and split the votes NPP secures in the region. Even today, the market women at Central Market and Kejetia Market are all supporting my presidential bid. The women have said that if I become the leader of the party, they will all vote for me.
“So, if they (delegates) refuse to elect me as flagbearer, it means the number of votes we are expecting to win the 2024 elections will decline because Ashantis won’t vote for any other NDC candidate but me. Without me as flagbearer, it will be very difficult for the party to win the elections, but if I am the flagbearer, the Ashantis will know that I am one of their own, and they will vote for me,” he told the morning show host, Kwesi Parker-Wilson.
The former football administrator also revealed that former President John Agyekum Kufuor once asked him to step down for John Dramani Mahama to lead the NDC into the 2020 elections.
He added that it was the reason he pulled out from that race.
“Former President Kufuor advised me to stay away from the contest and allow John Mahama to run because he has been fully marketed. He also told me that this is not my time and soon my time will come, so I listened to him and pulled out of the race,” he added.
Kojo Bonsu, however, admitted that he is yet to consult the former president on his latest attempt at the flagbearer position of the NDC but has stated that he is convinced that no amount of persuasion will compel him to back down on his quest to lead the party into the 2024 elections.
Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV below:
The Lowdown: Role of the diaspora in the development of Africa
CEO of the Aaron Manvel Foundation Millie Lorene Tucker and Gary Hope, the CEO of FLCC – Bring Back Hope Foundation underscore the need for the African diaspora to help develop the continent in this episode of The Lowdown on GhanaWeb TV. According to the women trying to make and create a change in Ghana, our forefathers were sold away and made to develop strange lands. Thus, coming back home and developing their home country is the best thing to do especially when resources are available.
The National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, has turned down his chances of becoming the party’s running-mate for the next flagbearer in the upcoming 2024 general election.
According to the incumbent national chairman, it is not within his ambition to either become a running mate or a flagbearer for the NDC.
He made the declaration on Angel FM’s Anopa Bofo morning show, Thursday, September 29, 2022, in response to a question on whether or not he would like to be the next running of the party.
Although he played an active role in the camp of Mr. John Dramani Mahama who was running mate to Prof John Atta Mills in the lead up to the 2008 elections, Mr. Ofosu Ampofo said he harbours no intention to be Mahama’s running mate should he win the NDC’s upcoming flagbearership contest.
“No, I won’t accept flagbearer, I won’t accept running mate position. What I want to do now is party work. Whoever the party elects and appoints as flagbearer and running mate, I will use my energy and wisdom gathered in the game to support them to win the [2024] election,” Ofosu Ampofo told host of the programme, Nana Yaa Brefo.
He maintained that his main priority is centered on helping the party come back to power for him to be addressed as ‘Chairman of a ruling party’ [NDC] in January 2025 and not as opposition chairman as he holds currently.
The former Eastern Regional Minister further explained that his undesired running mate position has to do with his political ambitions and has nothing to do with claims that he was at loggerheads with Mr. Mahama which he said are “false”.
Ahead of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) delegates’ congress to elect new leaders in December this year, the committee charged to oversee the amendment of the constitution has been accused of engaging in moves that will eventually see John Mahama emerge as the party’s leader going into the 2024 polls.
The Constitutional Amendment Committee of the NDC according to Angelonline.com.gh sources is seeking to disenfranchise some delegates.
It has emerged that the Constitutional Amendment Committee has resolved to smuggle in obnoxious laws and remove delegates at the branch level and prevent them from voting.
According to Article 42G of the NDC’s constitution, which talks about Presidential elections in the party and who is eligible to vote, Branch executives, Constituency, Regional, National Executives and founding members are permitted to vote.
However, the source claims that the committee wants to expunge the branch executives from the list. The move is to allegedly pave way for former President John Mahama to lead the party for the fourth consecutive time.
This is coming at a time a leading member of the party, Dr Kwabena Duffour’s name popped up in the flagbearship race.
Due to his popularity at the grassroots level, some members of the party who are pro-John Mahama are said to be deliberately trying to sideline Dr. Duffour to give their favorite an advantage.
Dr. Duffour’s self-help public finance practical ‘Ahotor project’ has been widely accepted by the grassroots as it brings hope to the various branches and constituencies to be self-financing.
According to the source, the unwarranted exercise by the Committee has raised questions as it believes, would impact the fortunes of the party going into the 2024 elections.
The move to ensure that the ward statutory officials of the party are excluded from certain party nomination processes at the state level which will put the party in bad light, a situation some have vowed to oppose.
The source, who noted that some members of the party who have vowed to resist the move, said that “it is a Constitutional breach and is an evil agenda against the grassroots.”
The source said that the objective of having the delegates at the ward and the grassroots to integrate the people and give power back to the people has been defeated with the planned action.
On the planned amendment, the source said, “the party must be people-centered to make any reasonable impact in the coming elections since the expansion of the party statutory delegates to the ward level was to achieve the objective of bringing the party closer to the grass root.
“An attempt of this nature will, therefore, be a nullity since it will not meet the stipulated constitutional positions,” it added.
Deputy National Organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chief Nixon Biney, has stated empathically that, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and President Akufo-Addo, are oblivious of the true state of the feelings of many Ghanaians.
The NDC man in an interview on Kumasi-based Ultimate FM monitored by MyGewsgh.com, said, last weekend’s booing of Nana is just a tip of the iceberg, as many Ghanaians are just fed up with the NPP’s political lies, the reason a section of people booed him at the Global Citizen festival.
‘‘Sad to hear, the NPP accusing the NDC of being the brain behind the booing of Nana Addo, the NPP ought to respect Ghanaians, that was not a political program, we all know that it was a global festival with artiste performing here and there.
‘‘If you have young Ghanaians attending such a program and you have the president there and they boo at him and somebody thinks it is NDC who organized them, then they are refusing to understand there is hardship, that people are not happy with certain things happening.
‘‘Unemployment is high and the youth are not happy is a clear signal for the president to sit up, those saying it is NDC who organized this, I mean they should up their game a bit.
‘‘They should appreciate that it is the same people who elected the president at the same place where he told them he would protect the public purse of which he is failing them.
‘‘It is the same independence square the president said all Ghanaians should come on board and support him, why is he worried they are acting as citizens or he wants them to be spectators?’’ be asked.
The Deputy Organiser of the NDC noted this is just the tip of the iceberg, Ghanaians are generally not happy with him and his government.
‘‘The President must understand that Ghanaians are just showing him the signs of his bad governance, it is for him to take it in good faith. In fact, if they knew that it was the NDC that booed the president, what did they do? Are they saying that the national security is in comatose, which I don’t think so?
‘‘They should come again and look at it, that some sect of Ghanaians are not happy with the president and for that matter, he has got some few years to get out of office.
‘‘He should make this better for the suffering masses, why always NDC this or that, did you see anybody in NDC T-Shirt there, come on NPP, no they were Ghanaians.’’
Bernard Allotey Jacobs has charged the leadership and members of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to protect the President of the Republic, Akufo-Addo, at all costs.
The former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Central Regional Chairman was alarmed at the embarrassment that the president had to endure at the Global Citizen Festival held in Accra on Saturday, 24th September, 2022.
The President was booed by a section of the crowd gathered at the event while addressing them.
The disgruntled patrons could be heard chanting ‘away’ to elicit their disapproval of the President’s presence during the concert which was televised on national screens and via YouTube to an audience across the globe.
Expressing his resentments over the patrons’ conduct, Allotey Jacobs accused the opposition NDC of orchestrating the move.
As a veteran in politics, he strongly believed the NDC stationed some people within the crowd to hoot at the president and also mobilized bloggers to blog it so as to create an impression that Nana Addo is unpopular with the masses.
“You would realize that some bloggers have been organized behind the scene just to take pictures and then make noise about and that is propaganda,” he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s morning show “Kokrokoo”.
Allotey also took a swipe at the rank and file of the NPP for failing to avert the incident.
“Your leader is always your leader. You should ensure any path he charts is clear. What he (President) said was full of wisdom and hope . . . They should be conscious of themselves that though it’s left with two years for the President to end his tenure, once he is the leader of the party, he needs the protection of every party member. For the party, your leader is more important than anything else,” he advised the ruling party.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sunyani, Mr Dramani said though the chances of the NDC regaining political power remained high, it would not be an easy battle.
He, therefore, asked the members and supporters to intensify campaigns for victory.
He said the Party needed loyal and committed members to reach out to and propagate the proven track records and achievements of the NDC to persuade the voting population at the grassroots.
Mr Dramani, now vying for the Deputy Constituency Organiser position in the Party’s impending branch elections, said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) had failed Ghanaians and was unable to fulfil the majority of its 2020 election promises.
This, he added, had provided an opportunity for the NDC to take advantage to intensify its campaign to make Ghanaians understand that “it is only the NDC that can alleviate their plight.”
Mr Dramani said: “We need a vibrant youth to lead the Party in the constituency not only to capture that seat from the NPP but also widen the presidential votes in the next general election.”
He appealed to supporters to contribute their quota to help rebuild and strengthen the Party to recapture power from the NPP to better the lives of the ordinary people.
The group says out of the 71 vacant positions with 116 applicants, no one from the Upper West Region was selected, although the applicant with the highest score in the exams conducted emerged from the region.
The caucus says eight of the shortlisted applicants from the region were disqualified because they lacked the needed knowledge on the management of district health directorates and epidemic outbreaks.
Describing the situation as unfair, the Secretary of the Upper West NDC Caucus in Parliament, Dr. Sebastian N. Sandaare called on the Ghana Health Service to audit the recruitment process to ensure regional balance.
“The Ghana Health Service is reminded of the duty to act fairly and reasonably in the exercise of its administrative authority, as contained in Article 23 of the 1992 constitution.”
“The Ghana Health Service is enjoined to prohibit discrimination and prejudice on grounds of places of origin,” the MP said.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC)Tema East Constituency Treasurer hopeful, Charles Amoako-Brobbey, has submitted his nomination forms to contest in the upcoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency elections.
Speaking shortly after the filing, Freshers Charles Amoako-Brobbey promised to abide by the roadmap and guidelines given by the party to ensure a peaceful and successful contest, adding that he will commit to helping roll out programmes and policies that will promote the welfare of his constituents.
“This marks the birth of a new dawn in my long-time ambition of serving the welfare and interest of my fellow constituents at a higher level. As a party member, I have faithfully served my party to the best of my individual ability and learned a lot of valuable lessons which I carry along into mainstream politics,” he said. “It’s my determination, most of all, to help promote monetary discipline and policies that will promote the general welfare of my fellow Tema East constituents,” he added.
The NDC will hold its Constituency elections on October 22, 2022.
This follows a successful branch election of party executives across all branches of the party some weeks ago.
The party subsequently opened nominations for the Constituency elections on September 20, 2022, and closed the process on September 24, 2022.
A member of Amoako-Brobbey’s team, Jonathan Darah Mandela, branch Secretary, also urged all NDC members in Tema East to take conscious notice of Mr Amoako-Brobbey’s industriousness as a private businessman, his generosity as a renowned philanthropist, especially to party members, and his commitment in keeping faith with the NDC both at the national level and at the Constituency level over the years.
He said, “no matter where one’s allegiances lie, these are the most crucial things that any well-meaning party member should look out for in a leader, especially one who seeks to hold the sensitive office of a party Treasurer.”
In a goodwill message, Mr. Amoako-Brobbey wished his fellow aspirants well in the upcoming contest.
“I wish all aspirants the very best as we keenly contest each other in a healthy manner that will inure to our collective benefit,” he noted.
Former New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for Kpone Katamanso, Hopeson Adorye, has alleged that people who booed President Akufo-Addo at the recently held Global Citizen Festival were paid an amount of GH₵120 by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Okay FM on September 28, Adorye alleged that the NDC through the Chief Executive Officer of 3 Music Awards, Baba Sadiq, Larry Dogbe and one Suhuyini organized seventy-five Fadama boys to stage the incident.
He opined that the booing was orchestrated by the NDC as a result of the one-sided video from the incident even though ‘all the bloggers in Ghana were present and streamed live’.
He mentioned that the president was not originally billed to be at the event but was able to make it because he had arrived a day earlier from the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
Baba Sadiq, he alleged was the mastermind having picked up information from organizers of the event that the president was going to be present.
“Per the information I had, it was the Trade or the Tourism Minister who was supposed to be at the festival to address the attendees.
“But the fact that the president attended one in South Africa and requested that if it comes to Ghana, he will be happy. It was going to Nigeria.
“One of the two ministers was supposed to come because of President Akufo-Addo’s UN engagement. But fortunately, the president was able to arrive before the day of the event.
“They had conversations with him and it was agreed that he will come. Because Sadiq of 3 Music Awards is an industry player and has a connection with the lead organizers, when he heard it, he and Larry Dogbe and Suhuyini met at a particular place to plan.
“They contracted 75 boys from Fadama and paid each one of them GH¢120. The videos trending is testament to it. It was from one particular shot,” Hopeson Adorye said.
President Akufo-Addo was among high-profile dignitaries who graced the Global Citizen Festival which took place at the Black Star Square in Accra on September 24.
When it was his turn to deliver a short presentation, a section of the crowd began to chant and clap ‘away, away….’.
The president remained calm and delivered his speech. Deputy Communications Officer of the New Patriotic Party Ernest Owusu Bempah has in a statement accused the opposition National Democratic Congress as orchestrating the plot to embarrass the president.
However, the NDC has rejected the accusation insisting that the booing was only an indication of the frustrations of Ghanaians.
The National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has impulsed the Electoral Commission to accept other identification documents as alternatives to the Ghana Card during the upcoming voter registration drive.
Though the EC has assured that no willing Ghanaian of voting age will be left behind, he argued in a panel discussion on TV that, “If it happens that by that time [future voter registrations happen], everybody has the card, nobody suffers anything.”
“Why don’t you put in some safeguards in case that projection doesn’t turn out to be as you expect, then there is a safeguard to deal with the shortcoming, and you are rather closing all the safeguards and banking your hope on somebody’s promise.” Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission, Serebour Quaicoe has said on several platforms that the EC intends to make the Ghana Card the sole means of identification during the
voter registration exercise.
According to him, the decision to use the Ghana Card is to prevent chaos at polling stations during elections. He cited confusion that emerged out of the 2020 election at the polling stations.
Meanwhile, on the EC’s website as of September 27, 2022, only two modes of identification have been outlined. They are; a valid National
Identification Card (Ghana Card) and a passport. This could mean that the EC is yet to update their website on the new identification process. In the absence of the valid ID’s above, an applicant must submit one completed Identification Guarantee Form endorsed by two voters. A proposed C.I. titled Public Regulations 2021 is anticipated to govern the next continuous voter registration campaign and is intended to replace these documents with the Ghana Card as the new law. Mr. Nketiah also stressed that the EC should not only rely on the National Identification Authority to execute its plans for future elections.
Former Deputy General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has said that the party remains popular despite the booing of President Akufo-Addo at the Global Citizen Festival at the Black Star Square on September 24.
He said the founding traditions of the party come second to none in placing Ghana on the path of prosperity.
According to him, only the NPP can steer Ghana to the ‘promised land.’
On the booing of President Akufo-Addo, he said it only goes to show that everyone has their highs and lows in life, stressing that life is a mixture of good and bad times.
“It demonstrates that for every human being, there must be ups and downs. In life you won’t always have it rosy at all times. These are issues you will encounter as a politician, as a human being.
“Does this show NPP is not popular? No. NPP is popular today, tomorrow and beyond. NPP and the UP tradition, no tradition is capable of moving Ghanaians to the promised land apart from this tradition,” Obiri Boahen said.
Economic conditions have been worsening under the NPP administration and government has partly blamed the situation on the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
While the economy has suffered downgrades from credit rating agencies such as S & P and Fitch, Ghana has initiated contacts with the International Monetary Funds hoping to secure a US$3 billion facility over a three-year period.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) believes the prevalent economic situation is the reason President Akufo-Addo was booed as a sign of frustration at the government.
The party said the incident reflects the “excruciating and frustrating times Ghanaians presently find themselves.”
In a press released signed by the Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, NDC said it had no hand in the “embarrassment.”
Sammy Gyamfi
The NDC is thus asking the government and the ruling New Patriotic Party to take a cue from it and work to assuage the suffering of Ghanaians.
“It bears reminding the ruling New Patriotic Party that the struggles of the youth are a microcosm of the daily ordeal of the Ghanaian people who must find ways to survive at a time inflation is 33.9%, with prices of goods and services skyrocketing every day.
“The youth expressed in the clearest terms, the daily struggles of the vast majority of our people who wake up every passing day with no hope of where their next meal is going to come from.
President Akufo-Addo at the Global Citizen Festival
“Those young people simply gave voice to our daily struggles with unbearable prices of fuel at the pumps, high cost of living in the country,” the statement said.
The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the NDC of orchestrating the heckling of President Akufo-Addo at the said event.
Issuing a statement, Deputy Director of Communications, Ernest Owusu Bempah Bonsu said the NDC intentionally sponsored the heckling for political scores.
Ernest Owusu Bempah, NPP’s Deputy Communications Director
This allegation the NDC has denied outrightly.
Background
President Akufo-Addo who delivered that keynote address at the 2022 Global Citizen Festival was met with loud boos and hoots from spectators.
As the crowd chanted “Away!” the President delivered his speech without a hitch.
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, has said that he is confident that the party’s successes since he took over its leadership will lead to him being re-elected in the upcoming national executive elections.
Speaking in a Power FM interview monitored by GhanaWeb, on Friday, Ofosu-Ampofo said that under his watch, the NDC which is in opposition,, for the first time in the history of Ghana has the Speaker of Parliament from its side and also has the same number of parliamentarians as the party in government.
He, however, indicated that his focus is currently on ensuring that the party’s reorganization at the regional and district level is done smoothly.
“From the period I assumed the leadership of the party all the indicators have been very positive. We have the Speaker of Parliament from our side even though we are in opposition. We also for the first time in the history of Ghana, as the opposition party, have the same number of parliamentarians as the government in power.
“I will withhold my ambitions for now as we work on the process to reorganize the party at the polling stations, constituencies, districts, the regional and national levels. But I will definitely be defending my title because I believe that my performance has been very good. My indicators are very good, my benchmarks are very high. When the time comes, I will go to the delegates and give them an account of the leadership they entrusted to me.
“I will enumerate all the successes the party has chalked under my leadership including the unity I have brought to the party,” he said in Twi.
Meanwhile, the outgoing General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has stated his intention of contesting in the party’s chairmanship race.
In an interview on Radio Gold on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, Asiedu Nketia unequivocally declared that he will not seek re-election for his position which he has held since 2005.
According to Asiedu Nketia, his options are now limited to two, which are to either retire from serving as a party official or elevate to the position of national chairman.
“I will not contest the general secretary position for the NDC. I have two other options at hand; either I go for the chairmanship or retire from politics,” he said.
The General Secretary has also stated that contesting for the party’s chairmanship position will not bring any division in the party, as has been asserted in some quarters.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has done a review of the 2020 general elections, raising some critical questions about the party’s activities before, during and after the elections.
In a statement by the member of the National Elections Directorate of the NDC, DR. Tanko R. Computer raised questions including why did the NDC didn’t go to the Supreme Court with its pink sheets.
Other questions about whether or not the party transmitted its results, and whether or not the elections were rigged for Nana Addo were also raised, with what appears to be carefully written answers following.
For instance, in response to why the party didn’t proceed to the Supreme Court with its pink sheets, the statement indicated that despite the party’s efforts to get the pinksheets used for the 2020 elections to the Supreme Court, ‘an iron wall’ had been built around Electoral Commission Boss, Jean Mensah and her EC such that it was difficult to.
Patrons of the Global Citizens Festival who heckled President Akufo-Addo have been reprimanded by the ruling New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) deputy director of communications, Jennifer Queen.
“The event was to sell the country to the entire globe. So if you end up cutting parts of some videos or instigate people to hoot at the president who is our leader it speaks very bad of you. Some people want to claim that they are the doyen of wisdom and are acting smart.
“This is becoming a norm nowadays. If a minister, vice president or government official goes to a programme you find people who go out to hoot at them. But what that tells is that a lot of these people lack home training. A lot of these people lack proper upbringing,” she said on the Monday, September 26, 2022, edition of Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme.
The New Patriotic Party’s deputy director of communications added that the NDC had incited the crowd with the support of a few stubborn people in an effort to earn easy political points.
“Despite all the benefits the state is gaining from the event, the NDC and their evil mindsets wanted it to fail. The intel gathered by our National Communication Directorate shows that they sat down to orchestrate this to outshine the beauty of the programme. I am talking about the NDC because they were the first group of people who started sharing the video,” she stated.
Jennifer Queen, however, condemned the actions of the crowd while emphasising the success of the event, which she notes adds to the president’s commitment to pushing Ghana’s entertainment, arts and culture.
“I will tell you that it is condemnable, it was unwarranted, it was bad behaviour from some elements who were being paid to go and do that, but in the end, the programme went on successfully,” she said.
The booing of President Akufo-Addo has attracted several social media reactions, with some critics saying it was a reflection of frustrated Ghanaians expressing their disaffection with the president and his government.
The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has stated that the booing of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo by some patrons of the Global Citizens event was instigated by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).
According to the Deputy Communications Director of the party, Jennifer Queen, the NDC orchestrated the incident to take away the shine and benefits of the global event held at the Independence Square on Saturday, September 24, 2022, brought to Ghana.
“Despite all the benefits the state is gaining from the event, the NDC and their evil mindsets wanted it to fail. The intel gathered by our National Communication Directorate shows that they sat down to orchestrate this to outshine the beauty of the programme. I am talking about the NDC because they were the first group of people who started sharing the video,” she said on Okay FM.
Thousands of patrons were at the Black Star Square to witness the Global Citizen Festival, which had a number of local and international artistes performing.
When it was the turn of President Akufo-Addo to make his presentation, a section of the crowd began clapping and chanting ‘away, away…”
The incident attracted several social media reactions, with some critics saying it was a reflection of frustrated Ghanaians expressing their disaffection with the president and his government.
But according to Jennifer Queen, the NDC rather saw the need to score cheap political points by organising some individuals with poor home-taught manners to disrespect the president.
“The event was to sell the country to the entire globe. So if you end up cutting parts of some videos or instigate people to hoot at the president who is our leader, it speaks very bad of you. Some people want to claim that they are the doyen of wisdom and are acting smart.
“This is becoming a norm nowadays. If a minister, vice president or a government official goes to a programme, you find people who go out to hoot at them. But what that tells is that a lot of these people lack home training. A lot of these people lack proper upbringing,” she said.
Away! Away! – Akufo-Addo booed on stage at Global Citizen festival in Accra
Away! Away! – Akufo-Addo booed on stage at Global Citizen festival in Accra
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While describing the chants as despicable, the party communicator nonetheless emphasised the success of the event, which she notes adds to the president’s commitment to pushing Ghana’s entertainment, arts and culture.
“I will tell you that it is condemnable, it was unwarranted, it was bad behaviour from some elements who were being paid to go and do that, but in the end, the programme went on successfully,” she said.
According to him, it’s of no use talking about the late former President’s strained relationship with a political party he founded with his sweat because the party and its current leadership pushed him out.
He was reacting to a recent interview by Elvis Afriyie Ankrah where he spoke about the late former President of Ghana and founder of the NDC.
Read His Statement Below
Okay, while I have great sympathy with Afriyie-Ankrah’s totally understandable commentary, I feel the need to call for caution and a smarter, more sophisticated approach to matters relating to chairman Rawlings.
Elvis and his likes should take a trip back and have a look through the Adabraka headquarters window. The view – at least as described by the lily-livered elements in the NDC leadership hasn’t changed, or? We were told Rawlings had outlived his relevance in the NDC, or? So, why would anyone even be bothered he cozied up to Akufo-Addo when indeed his own folks had no difficulty in attempting to ostracise him?
I think Afriyie-Ankrah needs to zone in on the weightier matters relating to the contest and provide a convincing narrative for all, that inspires even the non-believers and makes them want to be led by him in the event he wins the race.
Mr Nketiah has publicly declared his intention not to seek re-election as General Secretary of the NDC in the Party’s upcoming national congress, after 17 years as chief scribe.
In an audio message, Mr Afriyie-Ankrah, who is seeking to replace Mr Nketiah as General Secretary, described the latter as “a great personality”.
“He is a great personality and definitely an institution, and he has made the necessary impact that anybody could make within the political system, and indeed the history of this country and the history of the NDC would definitely not be complete without talking about his major role over the past 17 years”, Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah added that, “He (Mr Nketiah) has been an inspiration to all of us, just as some of us aspire to step in his shoes, we can continue to count on his wisdom, guidance and store-house of knowledge.”
The NDC will hold its Constituency elections between October 22 and 23, 2022, while the regional elections would be held between November 12 and 13, 2022.
The National Congress will be held on December 17, 2022.
About 7,900 executives are expected to be elected in a total of 876 elections at the constituency, regional, and national elections scheduled for the next three months.
Mr Nketiah, who had served as General Secretary of the NDC since 2005, in a radio interview on Wednesday, September 21, 2022, said the time had come for him to hang his boots as General Secretary and allow others to also serve the Party in that capacity
Asked if he would be contesting other positions in the upcoming election, Mr Nketiah said he would announce it when the time comes.
Mr Nketiah led the NDC to power in 2008, and 2012 elections.
The Party, under his stewardship as General Secretary also lost the 2016 and 2020 presidential elections, sharing the spoils with the New Patriotic Party in the 2020 parliamentary elections.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) Functional Executive Committee has extended the window for submitting candidacy papers for the upcoming constituency elections.
On Thursday, September 22, 2022, the selection of the nomination forms was supposed to come to a close.
The party has nevertheless added two additional days to the deadline, thus the new expiration date is now Saturday, September 24, 2022.
According to the party, all other processes on the approved internal elections timetable remains unchanged.
EXTENSION OF DEADLINE FOR PICKING OF NOMINATION FORMS.
The Functional Executive Committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has taken notice of widespread concerns from various parts of the country over the picking of nomination forms for the upcoming Constituency elections.These concerns have centered around network and other challenges relative to the download of forms.
In view of this, FEC has effective today, extended the deadline for picking of nomination forms by an additional two days, to end on Saturday, 24th September, 2022. All other processes on the approved internal elections timetable of the party remains unchanged.
All Constituency Secretariates of the party should take note of this directive and comply accordingly.
The arrest of more than 76 accused illicit forex operators (black market), according to Joseph Ade Coker, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), is not a remedy to the depreciation of the cedi.
This assertion is consistent with the Accra-area arrests of over 76 accused “black market” currency operators who were operating illegally.
The Bank of Ghana (BoG) conducted the activity, called “Special Operation on Foreign Exchange Parallel (Black Market Operators),” in coordination with the police.
The exercise in Accra took place around Rawlings Park, Tudu, Cowlane, Circle, Kimbu Market and Lava.
According to a statement issued by the BoG, the purpose of the operation was to clamp down on individuals and entities engaging in the business of buying and selling foreign exchange without a license from Bank of Ghana in violation of Ghana’s foreign exchange laws and regulations.
The Head of the Foreign Exchange Bureau Examinations Office, at the Bank of Ghana, Adjoa Konadu Torto, indicated that the exercise would continue in other parts of the country in the coming days.
In an interview on Atinka TV’s Morning Show “Ghana Nie” with host Ekourba Gyasi, Ade Coker noted that just like corruption, the operations of the ‘black market’ has been a part of the forex business from time immemorial.
Ade Coker hinted that if the foreign currencies are available at the forex bureaus, the black market will become “useless”.
“When the fundamentals are wrong, your foreign exchange will expose you. That is the truth of the matter. The forex business is run on a supply and demand basis, and these black market men give good rates. That is why people patronize them.
“It is a matter of making the currency available. If foreign currencies are always available at good rates, no one will patronize the services of these black marketers. “Some bank officials even direct clients to the black market,” Ade Coker added.
Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Joseph Ade Coker has revealed that the arrest of over 76 alleged illegal forex operators (black market) is not a solution to the cedi depreciation.
This statement is in line with the arrest of over seventy six (76) alleged illegal forex operators known as ‘black market’ operators in Accra.
The exercise dubbed ‘Special Operation on Foreign Exchange Parallel (Black Market Operators’ was carried out by the Bank of Ghana (BoG) in conjunction with the police.
The exercise in Accra took place around Rawlings Park, Tudu, Cowlane, Circle, Kimbu Market and Lava.
According to a statement issued by the BoG, the purpose of the operation was to clamp down on individuals and entities engaging in the business of buying and selling foreign exchange without a license from Bank of Ghana in violation of Ghana’s foreign exchange laws and regulations.
The Head of the Foreign Exchange Bureau Examinations Office, at the Bank of Ghana, Adjoa Konadu Torto, indicated that the exercise would continue in other parts of the country in the coming days.
In an interview on Atinka TV’s Morning Show “Ghana Nie” with host Ekourba Gyasi, Ade Coker noted that just like corruption, the operations of the ‘black market’ has been a part of the forex business from time immemorial.
Ade Coker hinted that if the foreign currencies are available at the forex bureaus, the black market will become “useless”.
“When the fundamentals are wrong, your foreign exchange will expose you. That is the truth of the matter. The forex business is run on a supply and demand basis, and these black market men give good rates. That is why people patronize them.
“It is a matter of making the currency available. If foreign currencies are always available at good rates, no one will patronize the services of these black marketers. “Some bank officials even direct clients to the black market,” Ade Coker added.
Although he hasn’t formally stated it, Mr. Asiedu Nketia has been rumored to be considering running for the NDC’s national chairmanship.
However, he has stated that he will not run for re-election as the party’s general secretary in the national executives elections on December 17, 2022.
Related: Asiedu Nketia: I won’t seek re-election as NDC General Secretary
Asked if it was true that he was going for the national chairman position, he said it was not time for a comment or a declaration of that interest.
When the opportunity comes, and the time is ripe, the public will know about it, he said.
Answering a question on discussions within the NDC that it would be problematic for him or anybody to compete the current national chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo who is likely to seek re-election, Mr Asiedu Nketia said he disagrees with that notion.
He said the history of the NDC does not support that position.
It is rather the opposite way, which is likely to be problematic if the party decides to block people with interests from competing.
He said there were precedents, which resulted in difficulties for the party on two occasions as witnessed in year 2000 and year 2005.
On those occasions, he said it brought about a “split” when there was an attempt to “gag everybody else”, and the leadership decided on who should take over.
He mentioned “the Swedru declaration” as the first occasion when former President Rawlings declared that Mills should take over from him.
The second one, he said was in 2005 when the then national chairman, Dr Obed Asamoah had wanted that he and his team be retained and that resulted in a fight and “violence” within the party.
On all those occasions, he said it resulted in a split when Goozie Tanoh and his team in 2000 decided to break away to form a new party and Dr Obed Asamoah and his team also broke away in 2005 to form a new party.
Apart from that, he said on all occasions that the party allowed open competition, there has been peace in the party, so he thinks no one should be blocked from competition.
He said “appeasement” does not solve a problem “so I believe that it is time…”
Mr Asiedu Nketia said there was no need to block elections in the party, and used himself as an example.
When many people in the NDC had said the general secretary position was solely for me [Asiedu Nketia], “did anybody block people from competing me. Even my deputy [Koku Anyidoho] competed with me, was he blocked by anyone,” he asked.
When Mr Asiedu Nketia was pressed further he reiterated that he will not seek re-election for general secretary, but on the issue of the chairmanship race, he said the party has not opened nominations yet.
He explained that one of the ways the body responsible for the organization of elections in Ghana planned on doing that was by denying it (the NDC) of a copy of the voter register.
Below is the full original story as first published by GhanaWeb on Sunday, September 22, 2019:
NDC’s Director of elections, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, has cautioned the Electoral Commission against what he described as plans to manipulate the 2020 election process.
He warned, the party and Ghanaians for that matter, will resist every attempt by the EC to temper with the general election process by all means possible.
He established, the failure to make the provisional electoral roll available severely hampered the party’s ability to monitor the exercise.
Thereby alleging names of over 25,000 people who registered in the recent registration exercise cannot be found in the voter’s register.
In effect, the NDC is claiming to be at a disadvantage in the 2020 general elections due to the EC’s act of omission.
“We’re telling them that Ghana is not other countries. If they think that they can be manipulated and influenced as it happened in other countries then they must be ready for what is coming. This is Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana… at any given time the will of the people of Ghana cannot be suppressed, there is no man or woman or devil that can stop the will of the people of Ghana. If they think some party or government is influencing them to favour somebody, then they should be ready because the people of Ghana will resist it with our blood.” He angrily expressed.
Ghanaians will resist any attempt to manipulate electoral system with our blood – NDC tells EC
In order to gain the seats they now have in Parliament, he claimed that the NPP had outspent the NDC by a ratio of almost 1:1,000 during the parliamentary elections.
Elvis claimed that the NPP had turned to force and vigilantism in places where money was insufficient to increase voter turnout; hence, those seats are still being litigated in court.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on why he is the perfect man to succeed the current NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, Afriyie Ankrah noted that while the NDC lost the 2020 General Elections, the statistics bode well for the party.
“I believe we won 142 seats, five of them are in court now, and it was through violence. You saw what happened in Techiman, Tarkwa Nsuaem, Sefwi Wiawso and all those other places because of the violence that was deployed.
“And then again the NPP outspent us by a ratio of maybe about one to a thousand, because we know the money we made available to our parliamentary candidates for example. It’s not up to 100,000. It’s not even up to 50,000, but you heard an NPP Vice Chairperson saying that she was given 1 million, just her alone.
“So they outspent us absolutely. They had so much cash, and that is why we’re in this crisis. They spent money, they opened the vaults. You’d be surprised to know that in some of the Northern, Savannah regions on the eve of elections bullion vans actually came to pack and money was being disbursed,” he said.
According to him, the election statistics show that even despite an NPP win, the NDC has gained more grounds among the Ghanaian electorates and is poised to take power in the upcoming 2024 General Elections.
“So with all that spending, if we’re to go by the official declaration of the EC, we have 137-137. Don’t forget that when we were in government, we had 106 seats, we lost by 44.3% and we recovered. And when I say this I say this very carefully so that nobody will think that we’re happy that we lost.
“We did not go in to lose, okay, but when you’re doing analysis, the statistics they speak. The statistics show that from a deficit of 106 seats, we now have 137. And if you look at the numbers, we had a deficit of 1 million votes which we clawed back so President Mahama’s votes went up by 6.2 million.
“So there were contentions over the Presidential votes which we went to court and all that. So I believe we’ve built a certain momentum,” he said.
The Bono Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Kwame Baffoe, alias Abronye DC, has revealed how several state-owned vehicles were purchased at a discount by former National Democratic Congress (NDC)government officials as they prepared to leave office.
According to the document sighted by GhanaWeb, 361 automobiles at $110 each were sold to government appointees for a pitiful $3 million.
Abronye asserted that the state lost $107 million as a result of this.
“The table above shows 40 out of the available 361 documents exposing how various state cars were purchased by high-rank NDC officials after they had lost the 2016 polls. The total value of all 361 cars was $110, but John Mahama sold it to his appointees at $3m, causing a financial loss of $107m equivalent to GHC1.5 billion to the state,” he shared as part of a press conference organised by the Patriotic Forum for Accountable Governance at the International Press Centre on Monday, September 19, 2022.
The press conference was on the back of a statement by former President John Dramani Mahama that he will review Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution, which covers emoluments such as ex-gratia for senior government officials if he wins power in 2024.
But according to Abronye, the former president’s promise is aimed at scoring political points and has no actual commitment behind it.
He tagged former President Mahama as being the biggest beneficiary of Article 71.
Per details of the document shared by Abronye, some of the cars, including a 2015 model Toyota Avensis registered WR 2798-15 with a market price of $28,965.00 (GHC167,846.38), were sold to former Deputy Education Minister Alex Kyeremeh for a paltry GHC500.
Some other beneficiaries of the 361 cars include Alhaji A.B.A Fuseini, Joyce Bawa Mogtari, Collins Dauda, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Sylvester Mensah, Murtala Mohammed, Victor Smith, Dr Raymond Atuguba and Dzifa Attivor.
Abronye noted that a good number of persons who benefited from the sale of the cars were cronies of former President Mahama and officials of the NDC and did not merit an ex-gratia in the first place.
Member of Parliament (MP) for the Wa CentralConstituency in theUpper West Region, Dr. Rasheed Pelpuo has urged that the police to come up with initiatives to help curb the recent killings in the municipality.
According to him, the police’s present tactics and procedures are failing to address the of ritual killings in the municipality.
So far, nine private security guards working at night in the Wa municipality have allegedly been slaughtered for ritual purposes.
In an interview with Class 91.3 FM, the chief member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), recommended that the RESEC conducts regular inspections on all vehicles leaving the area.
Dr. Pelpuo is also of the view that the identity of people who out of the blue exhibit wealth in the municipality must be known to help unravel the situation of alleged ritual killings.
He alleged that reports available have it that the bodies are being taken to Sierra Leone for some rituals.
