Ashaiman NPP members deny charges

The eight leading members of the Ashaiman Constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who were recently suspended for allegations of bribery have described the charges as vile, wicked and malicious.

The members said the charges preferred against them are blatant and unfounded and calculated to ridicule them in the eyes of the public.

They are Messrs James Ackah, Organiser; Abdulai A. Baba, Secretary; James Gyamfi, Assembly member for Zongolaka, and Aziz Sulemana, Organiser.

The rest are Mr Dickson Nsowaa, Mr Edward Boamah, Ms Kate Addae and Mrs Awusu, all members of the party.

They were accused of collecting large sums of money from an opposition party prior to the conduct of the 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections.

According to the members, the accusations levelled against them by the NPP are part of a ploy designed to incite members of the party against them and thereby prevent them from contesting for positions during the forthcoming constituency delegates congress of the party.

The members accused a former member of the party who defected to the United Ghana Movement (UGM) in September 2001 of being responsible for spreading false allegations of bribe taking.

They alleged that a committee which was set up to investigate the matter connived with some of their opponents in the party to concoct and trump up false charges against them, apparently to tarnish their reputations and halt their political ambitions for the foreseeable future.

The members further alleged that the committee belongs to a faction that has subjected them to wanton harassment since the election of Mr K.K. Teye as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman.

They have, therefore, appealed to the Greater Accra Chairman of the NPP to revisit the issue since they are innocent of the charges of bribery, which they described as false.