The presidential aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo-Addo has vehemently denied claims that he motivated the thugs who disrupted a press conference at the party’s headquarters on Tuesday.
A statement from Nana Addo’s office signed by Oboshie Sai Coffie said: “We find this statement a preposterous lie, motivated by nothing but pure malice against a man who brought him out of political obscurity to become Director of Communications of the NPP’s 2008 presidential campaign.”
A leading member of the party, Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy in a statement on Thursday accused Nana Addo of working to diminish the powers of party’s National Chairman, Paul Afoko and the General Secretary, Kwabena Agyapong.
But Oboshie Sai Coffie in response stated that although Dr. Arthur Kenndey is entitled to his opinion on Nana Addo, “he is not entitled to manufacture his own false set of facts in pursuit of his hate campaign against Nana Akufo-Addo.”
She therefore served notice to other party members who seek the downfall of Nana Addo that “no amount of vile propaganda can erase Akufo-Addo’s four decades of exemplary public record.”
Find below the full statement
RESPONSE TO ARTHUR K’S MALICIOUS CAMPAIGN AGAINST AKUFO-ADDO
It has been the practice of the Office of Nana Akufo-Addo to ignore the numerous publications made by Dr. Kennedy against Nana Akufo-Addo, but the gravity of his latest allegation leaves us no choice.
The Office has read an article published on the internet by Dr Kennedy Arthur, in which he, like others before him, condemns the shameful and unwarranted violence that occurred at the headquarters of the New Patriotic Party during a news conference held by Messrs Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong, National Chairman and General Secretary of the party, respectively.
But, as has become characteristic of the former presidential aspirant of the NPP, who received at the 2007 NPP presidential primary one (1) vote out of two thousand two hundred and ninety three (2,293) valid votes, he could not help but to drag the name of Nana Akufo-Addo into the matter.
In his article, Dr Kennedy falsely and outrageously accused Nana Akufo-Addo as being “behind the disturbances.”
He wrote, “It is obvious, upon reflection that these hooligans – from [President] Kufuor’s house through Tamale to the party headquarters are being organized, encouraged, inspired and motivated by or on behalf of the 2012 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”
We find this statement a preposterous lie, motivated by nothing but pure malice against a man who brought him out of political obscurity to become Director of Communications of the NPP’s 2008 presidential campaign.
His reflection is totally unfounded and baseless. We have observed a level of predictability and persistence in many of Dr Kennedy’s writings attacking the personality of Nana Akufo-Addo.
While he is entitled to his opinion on Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Kennedy is not entitled to manufacture his own false set of facts in pursuit of his hate campaign against Nana Akufo-Addo.
The Office of Nana Akufo-Addo finds it most irresponsible on the part of Dr Kennedy to accuse, without any shred of evidence, Nana Akufo-Addo of being behind the senseless acts of violence that took place at the party headquarters and the unfortunate protest that took place at the residence of the former President on January 7, 2013.
Though, Dr Kennedy’s statement gave no specific instance of the so-called acts of hooliganism in Tamale that he has accused Akufo-Addo of organizing or instigating, we wish to state, for the avoidance of doubt, that Akufo-Addo has never been behind any act of hooliganism in Tamale or anywhere else, for that matter. Violence is simply not in Akufo-Addo’s constitution.
We wish to make it clear to the likes of Dr. Arthur Kennedy that no amount of vile propaganda can erase Akufo-Addo’s four decades of exemplary public record. Nana Akufo-Addo, since his involvement in the PMFJ agitations against Gen Acheampong’s military dictatorship in the 1970s, through the Alliance For Change’s massive demonstrations of the mid-1990s, until the 2012 presidential election challenge, has always used nothing but his courage, wisdom and the rule of law to fight for the causes that he believes in and believes to be in the interest of the people of Ghana.
His evidence-based reputation as a peaceful, principled patriot of this country is both nationally and internationally acknowledged and respected.
Dr Kennedy, unfortunately, has become increasingly predictable and persistent in his negative campaigns against Nana Akufo-Addo for reasons best known to himself. We can only wish that the mercy of the Good Lord shall touch his heart and channel his negative energy into things that would help promote the positive interest of his party and country. We believe he has the capacity to do so if he applies his mind to it.
……signed……
Oboshie Sai Coffie
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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