Agbogbloshi Youth Wing Of The NDC press conference.doc

PRESS CONFERENCE ADDRESSED BY THE NDC YOUTH IN AGBLOGBLOSHIE AT THE SURGEONS AND PHYSICIANS BUILDING ON TUESDAY 10TH JAN. 2012

We, the Youth of the NDC in the Agbogbloshi area wants to first congratulate Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome for successfully winning a Judgment debt, following the illegal termination of a contract that was duly awarded by the procurement board. The court action of Mr Woyome is very exemplary. It will build local and international confidence in our justice system and pave the way for all business persons who are victims of contractual relations to proceed to court.

Secondly, we also want to express our unflinching solidarity to him in the face of on-going violent media attacks directed at his person (Mr Woyome). We wish to state that the attempt to expose Mr Woyome to public hatred and ridicule will fail. Truth is truth. There is nothing shameful about winning a judgment debt. We urge Mr Woyome to enjoy his hard earned money and also use some to assist the needy in the community as he always does.

Thirdly, the public exhibition and advertisement of irresponsibility by the NPP in this matter is not surprising. They always undermined state institutions, make reckless comments and celebrate when a government project fails. Rather than using the superior process of our legal system to state their case, they are running to the media to cover their sins of financial lost to the state.

For the records, Mr Woyome is not the only Ghanaian a court has awarded a judgement debt to. Indeed the same period he was paid 51 Million Ghana cedis, an international company called Waterville was also paid over 60 million Ghana cedis. It is not true that the Attorney General is in court with Mr Wyome. What is a fact is that the said case has been withdrawn from court since the last five months for out of court settlement. In fact what is there to be settled is an interest of about 10 million Ghana cedis for which claims are being verify for payment.

The recent accusation by the Minority leader in parliament, Mr Osei Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, to the effect that Mr Alfred Woyome has been paid 92 million Ghana cedis and not 51 million Ghana cedis is a shameful and a very desperate lie. This can only come from the mouth of a very reckless and irresponsible politician who has no respect for factual debate. The target of that stinking lie is not only to embarrass Mr Woyome but it is calculated to erode the gains and political mileage the recent press briefing of the president gave the NDC and the government. I will be shamed if this man was my Member of Parliament.

In the face of this recklessness and deliberate lies, the continual silence of the Government Communication Team on this particular subject is extremely unjustifiable and very costly to the President. Indeed threats of sanctions to members of the communication team who attempted to defend this issue in favor of the president’s stands are most shocking and unbelievable. In the face of deliberate vilification of the president and beneficiaries of our justice system by the NPP, what could be the motive of any government appointee to suppress and threaten anybody who defends the stands of the president?

What has become very clear is that some self-acclaimed power lords of the NDC, are using their poodle in the information ministry to undermine anybody who through this judgment debt may pose a threat to their ill gotten influence in the NDC party. Unfortunately they are so vindictive and treacherous that they do not care if their actions are against the position of the president or it has the potential to drive the NDC to opposition, given the political mileage the loud silence of the communication team has given the NPP.

Certainly, we are also aware of the unseen hands of a very powerful man of government, who thinks the subject of Judgment debt provides an opportunity to settle personal scores with an old foe.

Using government machine and sponsoring opposition elements to defame a party member who has a court judgment will hurt the NDC. Indeed, we are sending the strongest of notification to these agents to halt their efforts before the masses chase them out of the party.

Finally, we are by this calling on the national executives of the party and the leadership of government to halt the ongoing indiscipline in the party or we will chase these miscreants out.

However, we endorse without reservation the call by the president to the EOCO to investigate the circumstances that occasioned the loss of the said amount to the state.

Mohammed Iddi SECRETARY- NDC YOUTH AGBOGBLOSHIE 0244126449