Bawumia's campaign aide clashes with Martin Kpebu over expired rice allegations

Kojo Poku, a campaign aide to New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential candidate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, clashed with renowned lawyer Martin Kpebu over his boss's involvement in the distribution of expired rice to Ghana on live TV.

The clash happened during a panel discussion about expired rice being served to senior high school students, which was brought to light by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, on TV3’s The Key Points, on Saturday, November 23, 2024.

Kojo Poku, a former presidential candidate hopeful of the NPP, argued that the issue was being politicised, adding that the NPP presidential candidate, Vice President Dr. Bawumia, would investigate the matter if he becomes president.

“We don't need to politicise this matter. Our flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, will ensure this issue is investigated when he wins the election. If anyone is found culpable, he or she must be punished,” he said.

But Martin Kpebu, a co-panellist on the programme, disagreed with Poku’s assertion that Bawumia is the right person to deal with the issue.

He claimed that the vice president himself has a record of distributing expired rice to Ghanaians and cannot be trusted to handle the issue.

“Bawumia’s track record shows that he himself is a man who feeds Ghanaians with expired food. He himself has fed Ghanaians with expired food... NADMO admitted it and they sought to say that ‘we shouldn’t blame Bawumia but blame NADMO’. No, that is not it. It was Bawumia who went to hand over the food to people in Wa, victims of the Bagri Dam spoilage.”

He added that Dr. Bawumia is the Chairman of the Police Council, but he has failed to bring the persons responsible for feeding Ghanaian students with expired rice to book since the issue came up in 2023.

But Poku could not hold his frustration over the claims being made by Kpebu, interjecting the lawyer's argument.

He asked the lawyer to prove that the vice president was involved in the distribution of the fake rice and not base his argument on mere online media publications.

“Why has this become a Bawumia conversation?... Why has this become a Bawumia conversation? Even Honourable Ablakwa, who is standing for election, is not doing this,” Poku told Kpebu.

But the lawyer insisted that the vice president has questions to answer because he is the head of the Police Council.

BAI/OGB

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