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Arthur Kennedy blames Akufo-Addo for NPP violence; But Akufo-Addo denies complicity

The office of the 2012 flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has described as baseless a statement by Dr Kobina Arthur Kennedy linking Nana Akufo-Addo to recent disturbances in the opposition party.

The Director of Communications of the NPP’s 2008 presidential campaign, Dr Arthur Kennedy, in a statement issued yesterday, stated that “It is obvious, upon reflection that these hooligans – from [President] Kufuor’s house through Tamale to the party headquarters are being organised, encouraged, inspired and motivated by or on behalf of the 2012 presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.”

Thugs last Tuesday attacked the headquarters of the party following the decision by the General Secretary, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, to direct acting Communications Director, Mr Perry Okudzeto, to take two years’ accumulated leave while appointing new deputies.

Dr Arthur Kennedy’s statement with the title,  “The Crisis in NPP” stated that the activities of last Tuesday, as well as those against President Kufuor, Tarzan, Pianim and others are disgraceful. They have embarrassed all of us and they must cease. These actions and attitudes used to be the preserve of the NDC. It is sad that they have found a home in our party that used to be celebrated for tolerance.

According to Dr Kennedy, “the reason for all that happening is simple. Afoko, Agyapong and others won in Tamale against the wishes of those who told the delegates prophetically, ‘We cannot work with them’. 

Consistent with that vow, Dr Kennedy said, there had been a shameful and undemocratic desire to nullify the mandates that Afoko and Agyapong won in Tamale. 

“That is what this crisis is about. It is not about Perry Okudzeto or the security guys at the headquarters.  After all, if Jake and Sir John could be sent home, why can’t Hammond and Okudzeto be sent home? If Antwi Agyei could be re-assigned to menial duties and  Asem could be fired without any noise, why can’t Perry proceed on leave? After all, as Vice-Chairman Crabbe has pointed out, the General Secretary runs the Secretariat while the Chairman runs the party.  The truth  is that those who wrongly  believe that they are NPP royalty and therefore should control this party are unhappy with the election of Paul and Agyapong and want to reverse the Tamale election,” he opined.

But a swift reaction from Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s office, signed by Mrs Oboshie Sai-Coffie said the article was “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”.

According to Mrs Sai Cofie, it had been the practice of the office of Nana Akufo-Addo to ignore the numerous publications by Dr Kennedy against Nana Akufo-Addo but the gravity of his latest allegation “leaves us no choice.” 

“We find this statement a preposterous lie, motivated by nothing but pure malice against a man who brought him out of political obscurity. 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,”  Mrs Sai Cofie stated.

She said while Dr Kennedy was entitled to his opinion on Nana Akufo-Addo, he was 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‘s headquarters and the unfortunate protest that took place at the residence of the former President on January 7, 2013,” she stated. 

She further said that “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 organising 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.”

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