If the statement ‘out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaketh’ applies in every case, then there is a special place in Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ‘s heart for Nii Lante Vanderpuye, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate for Odododiodio.
So much does he (Nana Akufo-Addo) think about him that at a rally to climax a campaign period that has seen him comb every nook and cranny of the country for votes, he could not resist the urge not to mention his name.
A pretty awkward and perhaps funny moment was witnessed at the NPP’s last rally at Mantse Agbonaa in Accra as President Akufo-Addo introduced the NPP’s parliamentary candidate of the area as Nii Lante Vandepuye instead of Nii Lante Bannerman.
“In Odododiodio, if you are voting for me, then you are also voting for Nii Lante Vanderpuye”, the president said as he held the hand of Nii Lante Bannerman.
Having been notified that he had caused a blunder, President Akufo-Addo quickly mentioned Nii Lante Bannerman. Amid laughter, he apologized and urged the people to pick Bannerman over Vanderpuye.
“I didn’t speak well at all. I have a made mistake. What am I going to do with Nii Lante Vanderpuye. I meant Nii Lante Bannerman and I want you all to vote him”, Nana Akufo-Addo said as the crowd cheered and applauded.
President’s gaffe could be due to the similarity in the names of both candidates.
The only point of departure as far as their names is concerned is the surname (Bannerman and Vanderpuye).
Aside that, the name of Vanderpuye is easily recognized as he is more popular and is one of those NDC’s MPs who have been a thorn in the flesh of the government with their constant criticism.
Some have also attributed the gaffe to fatigue.
The two candidates have dominated the media space as they seek to represent a constituency that has a history of being closely contested and a flashpoint in every election year.
Recently, supporters of the two parties clashed with dozens getting injured and properties being destroyed.
Information available to Dikoder.com suggests that four independent parliamentary candidates in the Ashanti region have decided to step down from contesting the Monday, December 7, general elections as parliamentary candidates hopefuls.
A deep throat source within the executive leadership of the party in the region revealed to this portal that through a series of deliberations by high ranking executives of the party and the independent parliamentary candidates and their representatives, an agreement have been reached by these parliamentary candidates hopefuls who are believed to have some affiliations to the NPP party to step down and throw their weight behind the NPP candidates in their various constituencies.
Our source that spoke on condition of strict anonymity, revealed that Eric Osei of the Asokwa constituency, Kwabena Osei Bonsu of the Ahafo Ano North constituency, Lawyer Akwasi Agyemang Amofa of the Bekwai constituency and Hon. Andrews Amoako Asiamah, the incumbent MP for Fomena are the list of persons who through their representatives submitted their agreement letter communicating their decision to step down to the regional executives of the NPP party yesterday, December 5.
One would recall that the president upon his visit to the Ashanti region emphatically declared he is not ready to work with any NPP party member that defies the party’s condition and contest as an independent or supports an independent candidate ahead of the polls.
Your election command portal is keenly following the leads of this developing story for further updates.
Nana Ama Mcbrown Involved In An Accident, arm removed, and fixed during the surgery.[VIDEO] In a new video shared on Youtube by the actress, she revealed why she had been off United Showbiz for some time now.
She also disclosed how busy she had been with 2020 and her plans for 2021.
In the video shared by the actress, one of her arms could be seen looking odd and immoveable.
It can be recalled that On Friday, January 30, 2013, Ghanaian actress, Nana Ama McBrown, was involved in an accident on the N1 Highway in Accra with her then-boyfriend and current husband Maxwell who did not sustain any serious injuries.
Unfortunately, she had to undergo two surgeries on her arm and had surgical steel fixed in the arm.
Nana Ama Mcbrown ‘damaged’ arm
In the new video, the actress revealed that she was involved in a domestic accident.
According to the actress, she fell down and broke her right arm about two weeks ago and has had to undergo surgery outside Ghana.
She also added that the doctors had to remove the metal in her arms, cleaned it, and re-fixed it.
Campaign Coordinator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has noted that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led administration has dealt with corruption to the barest minimum.
This, he believes, makes corruption no longer a big issue ahead of the upcoming election.
Addressing a press conference in Accra, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid pointed out recent surveys carried out by interest groups which indicated that most Ghanaians are less interested in corruption.
Joy News reported that the NPP campaign coordinator has expressed that President Akufo-Addo is fighting the menace.
“In all the surveys that have been done by all the reputable research institutions and democratic organisations in our country, including the CDD, the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana none of those surveys show that corruption is upper-most in the minds of the Ghanaian people.
“Now, we want to remind the Ghanaian people and Candidate John Dramani Mahama that the reason corruption was a central issue in 2016 and it is not in 2020 is because it is not a palpable path of the governance structure and system today,” he explained.
Dr Hamid who is also the Zongo and Inner City Development Minister also confirmed that government has commenced efforts to get the country’s share of the Airbus compensation repatriated to Ghana.
A survey conducted by Intellectual Patriots, a governance advocacy group, has predicted a landslide electoral victory for the New Patriotic Party’s Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The survey, which covered 150 constituencies in all 16 regions, with over 28, 438 respondents selected, used a simple random and purposive sampling technique as well as a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods.
According to the opinion poll, 52.9 percent of the respondents said they will vote for the incumbent President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo while 4.3 percent will vote for John Dramani Mahama, flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress.
However, the other political parties obtained 4 percent.
The research conducted in November 2020, was presented at a press conference on Friday by Mr. Joseph Gyamfi Yeboah, President of Intellectual Patriots.
He said some of the factors that informed the sampling include the credibility of candidates, efficiency in the management of the economy, social intervention initiatives, infrastructural developments, trust to deliver on promises, second term opportunity, and the management of Dumsor and Covid-19.
He indicated that a margin of 2 percent error was projected since it was believed that a fraction of undecided voters could make a last-minute decision.
“the subject of Covid-19 had a mixed reaction whilst respondents believed the NPP managed the pandemic sufficiently, the general socio-economic effects of the pandemic had made a fraction of the populace lose interest in issues regarding party politics since most of them had been rendered jobless,” he stated.
“We believe that vigilance at the polling station before, during and after voting and the final collation of results should not be underrated by various political parties, ” he added.
The father of Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, Dr Akwasi Andrews Jones Amoako Atta Ofori-Atta, has passed away.
The former legislator died in the United Kingdom on Monday, November 30, 2020.
Dr Ofori-Atta was an uncle of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
Born on December 7, 1937, at Fankyeneko in the Eastern Region to Okyenhene Nana Ofori Atta 1, Dr Ofori-Atta was a stalwart of the Danquah-Dombo-Busia tradition.
He had his education at the Achimota School, University of Ghana and University of Ottawa.
He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Begoro in 1969 on the ticket of the Progress Party of the Busia Government and became the Deputy Minister of Finance at the age of 31.
In 1979, he was elected once again as MP for Begoro for the Popular Front Party under the 3rd Republic and became the minority spokesperson on finance.
In 1996, he contested for the flagbearership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He served for a while as Chairman of the Volta River Authority under former President John Agyekum Kufuor.
He was also an Economics lecturer at the University of Manchester, UK.
The late Dr. Ofori-Attta was married to Maud Adi-Darko and had four children including Mr. Ofori-Atta.
Deputy Minister for Information, Pius Enam Hadzide has stated that the supposed bribe video purporting to suggest that the then-candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo took a bribe is baseless.
To him, the largest opposition party is only interested in propagating false news rather than outlining their policies to Ghanaians ahead of the December 7 polls.
“They don’t have any message now; their messenger and message are not credible and they know. The agenda now is to tarnish the image of the President with false allegations,” he said in an interview with NEAT FM’s morning show ‘Ghana Montie’.
“President Nana Addo will never take bribe and he has track records to back that. That is the difference between the President and John Mahama who is known for corruption,” he added.
A civil society advocate I respect very much sent me a video of the alleged Akufo-Addo bribe this morning, and said it wasn’t possible the encounter happened in 2016. After some back and forth, I was compelled to watch the video.
It was the one with a voice narration, but I raelised there was something else strange about this video. In this video, the one who led the Hajia to meet Nana Akufo-Addo is heard begging on behalf of one Alhaji Abass. I felt this was strange because in the first unedited video that I watched, that was not part of the conversation. The discussion about party people wanting Alhaji out did not feature at all. So I went to the Facebook pages of those who first shared the 15 minute unedited video without the voice over or narration.
I realised that they had pulled down the original videos and uploaded this new one which had the voice over and what appears like an insertion of the speaker’s voice to match the narration that the money was sent as a bribe in 2017 to ensure that Alhaji Abass was kept in office.
The issue about campaign T-shirts have also been edited out of this new one. You will also realise that in the first one, an amount of 40,000 was mentioned, but there was no denomination. But in the second video being circulated, there it is stated.
I searched YouTube and realised that someone still had the earlier one, and it confirms the information I heard on the original video shared before being pulled down. (Watch this video and compare it to the other one being shared now and you’ll spot the differences.)
The conversation in the new one flows more naturally. For instance, when Barffour Awuah heard about the T-Shirts, he interjected and said he was going to Kumasi the following day and that he had to send the T-Shirts to support the (NPP) candidate in Asawase who badly needed support in his campaign. Nana Akufo-Addo readily agreed that he should send them to him. We should be asking the originators of the video why they pulled down the original ones they shared on November 30.
And we should be concerned because someone can record you in a discussion on one topic and go and edit out the original words they spoke to you and add new ones to create a different scenario. I do investigative journalism and I sometimes employ undercover techniques. My opinion on this is purely professional. I don’t know of any journalist who has been more outspoken about the president’s handling of corruption than I have.
But if he’s treated unfairly, I am obliged to point it out.
In 2016, I was one of the few who openly defended President Mahama when his voice was doctored in Kumasi in the “hen and hawk dance analogy” by a journalist to create the impression he was insulting the Asante people. It is a matter of principle and from a professional standpoint. In any form of undercover, the offence you intend to link the target of your investigation with should be the subject of discussion in the undercover recording. If you record your pregnant girlfriend as having taken money from you to abort a pregnancy and the conversation in the video is about taking the money for shopping, we have to point it out to you. There can be problems with the shopping and we should discuss that separately, but you don’t accuse her of taking money to terminate the pregnancy when that never came up when you met to do the secret recording.
In this case, I agree with those who question the mode of funding political party campaigns. I agree that there should have been proper structures where the presidential candidate does not have to be directly involved. I agree with those who question the motive of the giver. I don’t have any problem when Akufo-Addo is scrutinised for how he handled this and other donations. But it’s wrong to doctor the conversation of a meeting in order to destroy another person. It can happen to anyone. And you don’t have to belong to Akufo-Addo’s party or be his supporter to point this out. Just note that there are two separate tapes on this matter.
Seasoned Journalist, Kweku Baako says he will no longer treat any person or entity that denigrates him with kid gloves.
He made this known while discussing the alleged ‘bribe’ video regarding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
A video released by the Salis Media showed the President receiving a sum of Ghc 40000 from Ghana’s Ambassador to USA, Baffour Adjei Bawuah who presented it on behalf of the Director of Urban Roads, Alhaji Dr. Abass.
”It has been revealed that NANA AKUFO-ADDO is not the ANGEL Ghanaians perceived him to be but one, who is fully entangled in CORRUPTION and only fights corruption with words. Undercover investigations conducted by The Salis Newspaper has exposed sitting President Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) taking a bribe in a BROWN ENVELOPE in an undercover video. The money was handed over to Ambassador Baffour Adjei Bawuah…The US $40000 Dollar Bribe was paid to the President in 2017 after the NPP won the 2016 Elections at Nana Akufo-Addo’s private residence in Nima, Accra. The giver of the BRIBE is the current Director of URBAN ROADS, Alhaji Dr. Abass”, the Salis newspaper published.
Addressing the issue, Kweku Baako said the ‘bribe’ allegations are falsehood.
He revealed that the presentation was made in October, 2016 when President Akufo-Addo was a Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) seeking to unseat the Mahama administration.
The money, he noted, was given towards his (Akufo-Addo) victory campaign and that the Salis newspaper publication is untrue.
He charged Alhaji Abass to sue the owner of the newspaper and those peddling the false story.
Kweku Baako stressed that, as for him, should anybody make a disparaging remark about him; he will not hesitate to take legal action.
“You know that I don’t subscribe to going to the court and it’s something that still affects me that I will go to court because it’s against my whole orientation. But I’ve learned one good lesson out of the court processes that rumors, gossips, rumormongers and so forth; you dey look pathetic. Especially when they’re put in the dock and under cross-examination, they look like kids and so, maybe gradually, I will revise my philosophy,” he told Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”.
President Akufo Addo says he will not relax the enforcement of the ban on illegal mining despite promises and criticisms by the largest opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC).
The opposition party led by its flagbearer ex-President John Mahama has promised among other things to grant pardon to jailed illegal miners and release their seized excavators to them.
Addressing a rally at Manso Nkwanta, a mining community in the Ashanti Region, President Akufo Addo said he’ll not bow to pressure to soften his stance on illegal miners.
“I can turn a blind eye to activities that are destroying our natural resources and water bodies. I don’t have the power to say mining cannot be done in Ghana and I’ve not even said so. Our forefathers were into mining but they did not destroy the land as is being done now. That is what I’ve said and we are bringing in measures to streamline mining in the mining sector. Community mining is the way to go and my government is working to ensuring that we get it done. Nobody in the mining sector will lose their job, don’t listen to anybody who says when he comes galamsey will be done anyhow and uncontrolled.”
President Akufo Addo announced the ban on illegal mining two years ago and further rolled out many measures to enforce the ban in a bid to reclaim degraded lands.
Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako, has exposed the individual behind the tape recording of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo receiving a sum of money from Ghana’s Ambassador to USA, Baffour Adjei Bawuah.
The incident happened at the private residence of President Nana Akufo-Addo.
The Salis Newspaper published a story under the headline “Caught Pants Down! President Akufo-Addo Taking Bribe” reporting that the President was bribed by Mr. Adjei Bawuah who was acting on behalf of the Director of Urban Roads, Alhaji Abass.
”It has been revealed that NANA AKUFO-ADDO is not the ANGEL Ghanaians perceived him to be but one, who is fully entangled in CORRUPTION and only fights corruption with words. Undercover investigations conducted by The Salis Newspaper has exposed sitting President Nana Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) taking a bribe in a BROWN ENVELOPE in an undercover video. The money was handed over to Ambassador Baffour Adjei Bawuah…The US $40000 Dollar Bribe was paid to the President in 2017 after the NPP won the 2016 Elections at Nana Akufo-Addo’s private residence in Nima, Accra. The giver of the BRIBE is the current Director of URBAN ROADS, Alhaji Dr. Abass”, the newspaper read.
The story has so far dominated political discussions with political opponents of the President using it against his campaign to be re-elected into office.
But Kweku Baako has shot down the story while discussing it on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.
Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, Kweku Baako asserted that the story is untrue.
He disclosed the person who recorded the President is called Salis Yakubu and is the owner of the Salis newspaper.
He noted that the story has been skewed to look like the money presentation was made recently, but actually it was done in 2016 prior to the general elections when President Nana Akufo-Addo was then a candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He stressed that the money which was given to the President was Ghc 40000 but not 40000 dollars as published in the Salis newspaper and added the cash was to assist the Akufo-Addo victory campaign in 2016.
Mr. Baako exposed the true character of Salis Yakubu
He noted that Salis secretly recorded the incident and gave a wrong account in the voice-over he made on the video so as to tarnish the image of President Akufo-Addo.
Kweku Baako further disclosed he knows Salis Yakubu very well and that he once introduced him to investigative Journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas, but Anas sacked him after few months of working with him.
Mr. Baako also revealed that he is the same guy who lied about him during an undercover report by Anas Aremeyaw Anas titled ”Who watches the watchman” by saying he (Baako) had secretly recorded the President.
“Look, this is a guy that I influenced his entry into Tiger Eye,” he said but he regrets introducing him to Anas because any person who knows Salis’ true colors would never believe what he says or does, and particularly not believe the bribery allegation against the President because he lacks credibility.
“He is a political prostitute and a mercenary of the highest order. I regret myself. I led him to see Anas and became part of Tiger Eye, and in four/five months, Anas dismissed him. This is 2016 and then he set up his own group,” he stated.
Mr. Baako also revealed that Salis has been collecting videos to blackmail his victims, so advised the NPP not to pay attention to him.
“As I speak to you, I know he’s exited to Benin. I’m telling you. You know our borders are closed but they’re porous. You understand me. The borders are closed but they’re porous and so there are entry points that you can’t find an immigration person there and if you’re determined to exit, you’ll exit . . . He does these things and he sells them. He got into the NPP party; he got into it.
“This boy did the recording. Unfortunately for him, we have the original . . . So, when he decided to do the fake one in order to blackmail and collect money, and he collected monies from some people who didn’t know that the thing is fake . . . He lied and he’s still lying. He is in Benin. By now, he’s anticipating that I will come here and say something. He should stay there forever . . . Let me tell you that that tape by the boy is fake.”
”The sad part is that a fine public servant like Alhaji Abass, you bring him to the front burner relative to propaganda of nuisance value. It’s unfair to him. He doesn’t deserve that . . . ”
He called on Alhaji Abass to file a law suit against Salis Yakubu and his team.
“I would pray to God that this case should go to court. Look, the court doesn’t interrogate rumors, gossips and so forth. They have no room there and you’ll be so embarrased . . . I hope what I’ve heard is true that he’s getting his lawyers to take steps to deal with this matter.”
Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has accused the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) of being the architects of fake news and videos against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
A recent video making the rounds on social media which some political pundits have described as fake, indicates that President Akufo-Addo reportedly took an amount of $40,000 as a bribe.
A second video also being circulated on social media however shows something different.
According to the Managing Editor of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Kweku Baako, that is the original and true reflection of what actually happened in 2016.
Prior to this, there have been other fake news and videos all against the NPP and according to Kojo Oppong Nkrumah who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayiribi, were all orchestrated by the NDC.
Speaking in a one-on-one interview on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, he mentioned some names of NDC bigwigs who are allegedly behind such acts.
Ambassador Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Haruna Attah, former High Commissioner of Ghana to Namibia and Botswana has said the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) John Dramani Mahama is a better candidate than Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo ahead of the elections on Monday December 7.
He indicated that he has worked with the two personalities in different areas of their lives therefore, he is best placed to assess the two candidates.
Earlier in the middle of this year, he published a book on Mahama with the unabashed title of admiration: “Awhene Pa Nkasa. Standing with JDM”.
Ambassador Haruna Attah said these on the KSM show when the host programme, Kweku Sintim Misa asked him to predict the out come of the polls.
He “corrected” his host with the following words: “I’d rather rephrase the question: Who would you vote for?
“Of course I will vote for John Mahama”.
Explaining further, he said, “I believe he is a better candidate. I know the two main candidates [on the ballot] and in fairness to my conscience I think he is a better candidate.”
He called on “fair-minded” Ghanaians to recognize the former president’s good works and join him in voting JM.
