I’m not on NPP’s payroll – Amidu

Former Attorney General Martin Amidu has said he is not being paid by the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to run down the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) as alleged by Deputy General Secretary of the party, Koku Anyidoho.

In response to an earlier epistle by Mr Amidu against the NDC, Mr Anyidoho told Accra-based Kasapa FM that the former Attorney General only “comes out to spew gibberish whenever the NPP is under pressure and looking bad, but the NDC is looking so good in terms of the psychological warfare; that is when Martin Amidu strikes. So if people say the NPP induces him to do its bidding whenever the party is in trouble, they’re justified in their conclusion.

“Those who say Martin Amidu is on the payroll of the NPP may be right because he’s sent only when the NDC is pinning down the NPP. He fires some internal salvos to see how he can rock the internal NDC boat, some of us are beginning to believe that theory that he’s on the NPP’s payroll,” Mr Anyidoho said.

However, responding to the allegations, Mr Amidu wrote in a long letter that: “As for Koku Anyidoho’s recent timid insinuation that I may be in the payroll of the NPP, it is an old and tested lie taking its roots from the ganging up from the first publications of the NDC rented press starting from 3rd January 2012 accusing me of favouring the NPP and prosecuting NDC supporters and financiers.

“I had intelligence back then that Koku Anyidoho as the Communications Director at the presidency was the conduit that was used to orchestrate the personal attacks and character assassinations because I was exposing those involved in Woyomegate.

“In any case, what was and is wrong with the moral support almost all other political parties in Ghana, led by the NPP, gave me to successfully obtain judgment against the Government, Woyome and others in my constitutional action in the Supreme Court when the then Government and NDC strategically and tactically opposed and continue to oppose me and the 1992 Constitution till today?

“Is the NPP not the Government now trying to retrieve the fruits of my labour, the judgment, from Woyome and all other beneficiaries that includes the NDC for the public purse? As the plaintiff in the case, I continue to have a constitutional duty to ensure that my judgment is executed against Woyome and all beneficiaries of the loot, and if that is interpreted as my being on the payroll of the NPP, so be it,” Mr Amidu noted.

But starting from 3rd January 2012, I was ignorant of the fact that during the EOCO investigations there had been discoveries of some of beneficiaries of the Government-assisted looting by Woyome. It was only when I had applied to examine Woyome in November 2016 that photocopies of the cheques and the list of the beneficiaries were mailed to me by an anonymous well-wisher. When the list of beneficiaries was published by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on 5th December 2016 at a press conference organised for the purpose towards the elections, I expected that Koku Anyidoho whose name appeared as having received GHS100, 000.00 and GHS13, 000.00 respectively on 1st and 10th May 2011 through Agricultural Development Bank cheques numbered 809090 and 809093 would sue for defamation to vindicate his honour.

“I am not aware that he has done that, which makes me suspect that these payments were the reason why he aborted the 23rd December 2011 press release, why he instigated the late President against me, and why he championed all the false press against my integrity for wanting to bring corrupt Government and party officials involved in Woyomegate to book as the Attorney General. Kofi Adams’ spurious allegations that my crusade to defend the Constitution against corrupt and abusive governments “is borne out of envy, jealousy and hatred for Former President John Dramani Mahatma because he was not given another opportunity as running mate of the party,” is also an old indecorous personal attack recycled for lack of any credible and objective answers to my constitutional challenges to the John Mahama Government,” Mr Amidu added.