The NDC in a statement said Nii Lante Vanderpuye’s comments “do not reflect in any remotest sense the position of the party regarding the fight against corruption in the country on the matter involving the conviction of Honourable Abuga Pele in particular.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”Zs6h5I7x7yQBALGQBGio6hGyp6v5N3I5″]The statement, signed by Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, came shortly after the NDC’s Founder, Jerry John Rawlings, condemned the comments by the NDC MP the party.

According to Mr. Rawlings, such ideas and actions will only ensure the NDC remains in opposition for a “long, long time.”

NDC started prosecuting Pele

But the NDC has maintained that its government initiated the court action in 2014 that eventually led to the conviction of Abuga Pele  and Philip Assibit.

“We wish to remind Ghanaians that the investigation and prosecution of Honourable Abuga Pele was initiated by the NDC as part of our strategy to rid the country of corruption, and this strategy involves measures to prevent corruption and how to deal with corruption when it has already occurred.  They include exposure, investigation, prosecution and punishment of corruption.”

“It will therefore be absurd that after a successful conviction has been achieved in this particular case, the initiator will turn around to free any person who has been convicted as a result,” the statement said.

Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, during the NDC’s Eastern Regional unity walk over the weekend, told Citi News that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was working hard to win the general elections in 2020, and will after that release the former NDC MP, Abuga Pele.

Mr. Vanderpuye said the NDC’s morale remains high ahead of the 2020 elections, despite the incarceration of Pele last week, adding that the party was on course to regain power.

“It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out,” he said.

Background

Abuga Pele, a former NDC MP for Chiana Paga, was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently whilst Assibit got concurrent sentences of 12 and four years on different counts.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

Philip Assibit has since served notice will be appealing his 16-year jail term alongside an application for bail.

Find below the full statement

MP’s SENTIMENT DOES NOT REFLECT NDC’s POSITION

A statement purported to have been made by National Democratic Congress, NDC Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo Constituency Honourable Nii Lantey Vanderpuye in an interview with a local radio station has widely been circulated in both print and electronic media.

In the said statement, an unfortunate impression has been created by the Honourable Member that the NDC will release Honourable Abuga Pele, the convicted former Member of Parliament for Chiana Paga from prison, if the party succeeded in capturing power in 2020.

It is called that Honourable Abuga Pele was sentenced to six years in prison for causing financial loss to the state.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC wishes to place on record that the sentiment expressed by the Honourable Member on the above-cited statement do not reflect in any remotest sense the position of the party regarding the fight against corruption in the country on the matter involving the conviction of Honourable Abuga Pele in particular.

We wish to remind Ghanaians that the investigation and prosecution of Honourable Abuga Pele was initiated by the NDC as part of our strategy to rid the country of corruption, and this strategy involves measures to prevent corruption and how to deal with corruption when it has already occurred.  They include exposure, investigation, prosecution and punishment of corruption.

It will therefore be absurd that after a successful conviction has been achieved in this particular case, the initiator will turn around to free any person who has been convicted as a result.

We can understand the emotional trauma the family, friends and sympathizers of our former MP are going through at this critical moment.  However, it is the belief of the leadership of NDC that in matters like this, the interest of the state cannot be subjected to individual or partisan interest.

We rather urge the current Nana Akufo-Addo led – government to emulate this shining example of the Mahama administration and, muster enough courage to bring members of his government who have been accused of corrupt practices to justice instead of praising them and misleading Ghanaians that all his ministers and appointees are clean.

Signed

Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah

General Secretary, NDC

–

By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘We won’t free Abuga Pele, Ignore Nii Lante’ – NDC appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to Mr. Rawlings, such ideas and actions will only ensure the NDC remains in opposition for a “long, long time.”

In a strongly-worded statement published on his Twitter page, the former president said no one must be put above the law, and that persons who perpetrate crimes must duly be punished.

“If the quest for political power is to release wrongdoers from prison, then the NDC is laying its own foundation to remain in opposition for a long long time,” Rawlings said.

Edwin Nii Lante Vanderpuye, during the NDC’s Eastern Regional unity walk over the weekend, told Citi News that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was working hard to win the general elections in 2020, and will after that release the former NDC MP, Abuga Pele.

Mr. Vanderpuye said the NDC’s morale remains high ahead of the 2020 elections, despite the incarceration of Pele last week, adding that the party was on course to regain power.

“It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out,” he said.

But Rawlings, who is the founder of the NDC and has been a strong critic of developments within the party especially the conduct of some of its members, said “the corruption by some of those who were in office, resulting in a humiliating defeat in the last election does not appear to have affected their conscience and reasoning in any way.”

Read his full statement below:

POLITICAL POWER NOT FOR FREEING THE GUILTY

Stealing and corruption puts no one above the law. Those who have committed crimes deserve to be punished. If the quest for political power is to release wrongdoers from prison, then the NDC is laying its own foundation to remain in opposition for a long long time. Fortunately, this kind of talk belongs to a handful of people in the NDC leadership who have gained power and influence they do not deserve and the sooner they are packed off, the better for the NDC and this country.

Obviously, the corruption by some of those who were in office, resulting in a humiliating defeat in the last election does not appear to have affected their conscience and reasoning in any way.

The NDC needs to regain its moral compass. A party born out of the explosive circumstances of our past should not find herself so HIGH on the scale of corruption. Just as the negative elements in various parties are networking to protect their misdeeds, so also must the positive minded personalities and supporters in the various parties also network to contain and keep such elements from political power. While the current circumstances favour patriotic forces the most, the unpatriotic elements are more bent on collaborating and exploiting the constitutional climate. Let’s make changes for the better. Clear the bad and retain the good. Bring on board other patriots.

‘Abuga Pele jailed’

Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

The activities of the two led to the state losing about GHS4.1 million.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Political power not for freeing ‘thieves’ – Rawlings slams Nii Lante appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Vanderpuye said the NDC’s morale remains high ahead of the 2020 elections, despite the incarceration of Pele, adding that the party was on course to regain power.

“It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out,” the MP told Citi News after the part’s Unity Walk in Eastern Region at Somanya.

Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced alongside the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a combined jail-term of 18 years on various counts, including willfully causing financial loss to the state.

Pele was handed a four and six-year sentence which will run concurrently whilst Assibit got concurrent sentences of 12 and four years on different counts.

The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.

Philip Assibit has since served notice will be appealing his 16-year jail term alongside an application for bail.

Victims of broken system

Another NDC MP, Mahama Ayariga, put up somewhat of a defence for Abuga Pele and Philip Assibit saying they were only victims of agencies that were allowed to operate without any checks.

Responding to their conviction on The Big Issue, Mr. Ayariga said he was not going to abandon his “comrades” just because they had broken the law.

“These comrades fell because we operated a legal regime that left cracks that became the holes that devoured them. The cracks include the tolerance of unfettered discretionary power in the management of our public affairs and the permissiveness of sole sourcing and other negative practices of allowing institutions to exist without an appropriate legal framework,” Mr. Ayariga said.

Threat of legal action

Mr. Ayariga also said he was going to give some state agencies an ultimatum to present to Parliament, reforms of their regulations or face action at the Supreme Court.

He said he will move against every state agency exercising “unfettered discretionary power without clear non-discriminatory non-arbitrary regulations approved by Parliament governing the exercises of their discretionary power.”

“I shall in the coming week write to each and every agency of government concerned and demand that the regulations be brought to Parliament within 30 days otherwise I will proceed to the Supreme Court to seek an injunction against all that they are doing in violation of the law.”

–

By: Neil Amatey Kanarku & Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NDC will win 2020 polls and ‘free’ Abuga Pele – Nii Lante appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, releasing the report could be disastrous for the party.

[contextly_sidebar id=”IhmZJte07ZzIFSAnGaoyNQMwHbBBKn5O”]He maintained that, recent media reports serializing the supposed leaked document were just attempts by political opponents to force the NDC to release the full report, a tactic he says will not succeed.

“What these people are doing, is communist inferior tactics to compel us to put the report out there. I can say as a member of the Committee that anything that possibly will induce us, coerce us or push us to put the original report out will spell the doom of the party, and I will never recommend that,” Nii Lante Vanderpuye said on Eyewitness News on Wednesday.

“We’ve used wisdom and intelligence to craft a report that critically diagnoses the problems of the party. We’ve done an executive summary which has been made available for public consumption, but the report itself is an in-house medicine to heal us. It’s for us and our own consumption and not for somebody else. When the NPP did their report, they did they put it out in the public domain? Why are they expecting us to put ours in the public domain? We will never do that.  They are doing this to get us to put out the original report.”

His comments come hours after the NDC’s General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, rubbished the documents being serialised, describing them as fake.

The NDC recently announced that it had scrapped its biometric register, and will be returning to the manual process of registering members of the party.

The party’s National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, stated that the National Executive Committee had unanimously agreed to scrap the register based on recommendations made by the Kwesi Botchwey Committee.

The Odododiodioo Legislator, Nii Lante, called on members of the party who have challenges with any of the recommendations made in the executive summary of the report, to go to the party’s headquarters.

“The actual report will not come, and if you have any contentions with the issues in the executive summary and think it is wrong, you get to the party headquarters and they’ll open the page that has the recommendation for you to look at and take a decision. I don’t think there’s any law in this land that will force the NDC to put out the report and we’ll not do it,” Nii Lante said.

“The Executive summary from the Committee recommended that, we take a look at our biometric registration and the party has taken steps towards that.”

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By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Releasing Botchwey report would spell doom for NDC – Nii Lante appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to him, the basic examination is an important part of the educational ladder.

Speaking to the media at a ceremony to assist the B.E.C.E candidates in his constituency, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye said the students should be focused, dedicated and disciplined during this period.

“The candidates should be dedicated to their books and understand that this is the beginning of their lives. This examination will unlock the doors to their future success because if you fail at this point it’s often difficult to climb the educational ladder,” he said.

The Member of Parliament who gave out some educational materials such as mathematical sets and other stationery to the over five hundred candidates, said this is will get the students well prepared for the exams.

“We prepare the students who are going to take part in the exams to come out with flying colors. This has been done for the past seven years,” he said.

Nii Lantey Vanderpuye also promised to carry out another phase of an educational programme in his constituency after the exams.

“After the exams, we will add a second phase which is the Pre- SHS programme where the students will be taken through some SHS courses”.

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By: Philip Nii Lartey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Take BECE seriously – Nii Lantey Vanderpuye tells candidates appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In an interview with Citi News’ Umaru Sanda Amadu, the Odododiodoo legislator said the situation has left his wife, who is currently the only occupant of the house distraught.

[contextly_sidebar id=”uFu3zbQjwUiWFjtMccto4FR9HH9iepkj”]While expressing shock over the development, Nii Lante Vandepuye denied being in possession of a state vehicle.

According to him, the only vehicles currently in the house, were ones he purchased from a public auction some four years ago and another; which is an official vehicle he used while serving as minister in the former government, but bought it before he left office.

He said he has documents to prove his ownership of the vehicles.

“I’m not in Ghana now. I’m in the UK for a short holiday. I just had a call from my wife that four vehicles are parked in front of the house and they said they are from national security, the BNI and confiscated cars committee, and that they have instructions that there are about 3 government vehicles in my house so they are coming for them. My wife asked them for their warrant, they didn’t have the warrant so she refused them entry. So 2 of the vehicles left, leaving 2, and they said they are going to secure a warrant and they will be back,” he said.

“If I have state vehicles in my possession, the state can use any other power under its jurisdiction to ask me to surrender. Why would you have to send security and armed men to the house? Two policemen have weapons, and the others are BNI officers with a pistol around their waist,” he added.

Nii Lante Vanderpuye insisted that, he made the full payment for the state vehicle and completed all the relevant processes to transfer ownership to him.

“The only vehicle I have which used to belong to the state, has been sold to me when we were leaving office. I bought it and paid for it, a Toyota Avensis. I used it when I was a deputy minister and a minister. The process started in December, and ended before we left office in January, but I finally got all the documentations somewhere at the end of January and also I didn’t have all the money to pay the customs so when I finally got the money, I paid the customs duty and got the clearance and everything before I re-registered the vehicle between February and March 2017,” he said.

“I paid over GH¢30,000 as the value and when we had paid that amount of money, we were told to pay duty to the GRA and that one too was done, about GH¢29,000 in all, about ¢GH50,000 I paid on that vehicle,” he added.

But in a subsequent interview on Eyewitness News from the UK, Mr. Vandepuye said the remaining two vehicles the alleged BNI officers came in, has left his house.

He said he had confirmation that the officers left his house after they had been instructed by the District Police Commander to leave the premises since they did not have a warrant.

Meanwhile, the MP has said he will lodge a formal complaint at the Police station to have the issue investigated.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post BNI besiege Nii Lante’s house in search of state cars appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking on Citi Prime News on Wednesday, Mr Bannerman said in spite of the lies and deceit being peddled against him by Mr Vanderpuye in the constituency, he was certain of victory in the upcoming elections.

[contextly_sidebar id=”mvn09pU9IIFan4MB9oetw0agDjnsfrAR”]Reacting to claims by Mr Vanderpuye that he was only a Senior High School certificate holder and lacked the necessary educational qualification to unseat him, Mr Bannerman said, “right from my basic school I was an excellent student, event at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), I had nine ones. The records are there. I went to Adisadel College and I completed.”     

Nii Lante Vanderpuye had earlier alleged in a Citi News interview that, his contender, Nii Lante Bannerman had lied to the constituents that he was a University graduate and completed Senior High School with excellent grades.

But Mr Bannerman described the allegations as “untruth”.

He said although he dropped out of the University twice upon the request of a company he was working with and on the second instance to contest the parliamentary seat, that cannot be used to question his ability to unseat Nii Lante Vanderpuye.

“I have the necessary exposure, the experience to outwit Nii Lante Vanderpuye in this particular election. I saw the opportunity to unseat him to free the people of Odododiodoo from the lies and deceit Nii Lante Vanderpuye has taken them through and that is why I left to come and contest him,” he said.

“The good people of Ododiodoo know me very well, I am popular amongst the people, they know what I can do, they know what I have been doing for the past couple of years. Nii Lante Vanderpuye is desperate, he is just afraid of what is coming against him, that is why he will resort to some of these things,” Mr Bannerman added.

Mr Bannerman said he was an accomplished banker and did not need Nii Lante Vanderpuije to sponsor his tuition if he decides to pursue higher education.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nii Lante Vanderpuye is desperate for power – Nii Lante Bannerman appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The chip is implanted under a woman’s skin, releasing a small dose of levonorgestrel, a hormone.

This will happen every day for 16 years, but can be stopped at any time by using a wireless remote control.

The project has been backed by Bill Gates, and will be submitted for pre-clinical testing in the US next year – and possibly go on sale by 2018.

The device measures 20mm x 20mm x 7mm and will be “competitively priced”, its creators said.

Convenience factor

Tiny reservoirs of the hormone are stored on a 1.5cm-wide microchip within the device.

A small electric charge melts an ultra-thin seal around the levonorgestrel, releasing the 30 microgram dose into the body.

There are other types of contraceptive implant available, the researchers noted, but all require a trip to a clinic and an outpatient procedure in order to be deactivated.

“The ability to turn the device on and off provides a certain convenience factor for those who are planning their family,” said Dr Robert Farra from MIT.

The next challenge for the team is to ensure the absolute security of the device to prevent activation or deactivation by another person without the woman’s knowledge.

“Communication with the implant has to occur at skin contact level distance,” said Dr Farra.

“Someone across the room cannot re-programme your implant.

“Then we have secure encryption. That prevents someone from trying to interpret or intervene between the communications.”

Huge range

The same technology could be used to administer other drugs.

Simon Karger, head of the surgical and interventional business at Cambridge Consultants, said that implanted technology like this faces a range of challenges and risks.

But he added that overall “the value to the patient of these types of implant can be huge and we foresee a future in which a huge range of conditions are treated through smart implanted systems”.

The innovation comes at a time when governments and organisations around the world have agreed to try to bring family planning to around 120 million more women by 2020.

This challenge opens the door to this kind of implant technology being used in areas where access to traditional contraceptives is limited – a bigger priority, argued Gavin Corley, a biomedical engineer.

“That’s a humanitarian application as opposed to satisfying a first-world need,” he told the BBC.

Source: BBC

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