Elizabeth Ohene discredits manifesto allegations

A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Manifesto Committee, Ms Elizabeth Ohene, has discredited allegations that the committee’s function has been ceded to IMANI Ghana, a policy think tank.

A group calling itself Save NPP Now last week accused the party’s presidential aspirant, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, of attempting to take the heart and soul of the party to such an extent that the party’s Manifesto Committee had been pushed aside and its function handed over to IMANI Ghana.
Mr Baah Acheamfour, the Communications Director of the group, which is campaigning for the resignation of the NPP’s presidential aspirant, told the Daily Graphic that the development came to his attention two weeks earlier.

Elizabeth Ohene speaks 

But when contacted, a member of the party’s Manifesto Committee confirmed that the committee had not met for a while but denied knowledge of its function being handed over to IMANI.
Sounding surprised the former Information Minister in the President Kufuor regime said, “Really? I’ve not heard that.
“You know when there is trouble people like to add to it. I have certainly not heard anything like that.”

IMANI denies 

The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IMANI, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, also discredited the allegation, describing it as a mere fabrication.
“I don’t know what he is talking about. That is a total lie. It is probably one of those groups with sour grapes in the NPP,” he added.
IMANI, during the 2012 elections, criticised the NPP’s free senior high school manifesto promise, saying it was not feasible.

False allegation

Responding to the allegations, Nana Akufo-Addo’s Press Secretary, Mr Eugene Arhin, told the Daily Graphic that the allegations were false and unfounded.
He stated that the allegation showed the group’s level of ignorance about how the party’s Manifesto Committee work.
“The manifesto is drafted by party people. We collate views from all our stakeholders, including parliamentarians and within ourselves. It is then drafted by party people and not outsourced to anybody,” he added
Mr Arhin stated that the party intended to inaugurate its working committees after the end of parliamentary primaries.