It is better to have 51 incorruptible family members in govt than few corrupt siblings - Wontumi

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, has responded to accusations by the National Communications Officer of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that President Akufo-Addo is running a government full of relatives and cronies.

At a press conference held yesterday by the NDC, the National Communications Officer Sammy Gyamfi readout 51 names and tagged them as relatives and cronies of President Akufo-Addo.

But the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, has rubbished his claim noting that it is better to have “51 incorruptible family members” serving under President Akufo-Addo than the “few corrupt” siblings that operated under former President John Mahama.

The NPP Chairman noted that most of the names presented by the NDC Communications Officer were people who have accomplished a lot in their private lives and were not serving under President Akufo-Addo to milk the state.

“You (Sammy Gyamfi) rush to organize a press conference just to denigrate accomplished men. You were still sucking breast milk when most of the names you mentioned were making it big in life. You refused to think through your presser before wasting the time of Ghanaians. ”, Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako also known as Chairman Wontumi said.

He questioned the rationale behind former President Mahama giving 80% of Ghana’s bauxite valued at $200 billion to his younger brother before exiting power in 2016.

Chairman Wontumi continued that it took President Akufo-Addo and his 51 family members to overturn that act and rather set up the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation to add value to Ghana’s one billion tonnes of bauxite.

In a related development, the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of lacking the ideas and vision to engage in an issue-based campaign, ahead of the 2020 general elections.

According to the NPP, the content of the press conference by the main opposition on Tuesday, shows clearly that, they have nothing to contribute in the competition of ideas and performances.

The National Youth Organizer of the party, Nana Boakye (Nana B) noted that in Akufo-Addo, Ghanaians know what he stands for and has been consistent in what he stands for all throughout his political life.

“In 2008 he promised free secondary education. He stuck to it in 2012 and stayed with it in 2016 and has delivered on it in office. He campaigned on Ghana’s industrialization and adding value to our natural resources… Today, he has set up the Ghana Integrated Aluminium Development Corporation to add value to Ghana’s one billion tonnes of bauxite. It is this same bauxite that John Mahama signed away to his younger brother, Ibrahim Mahama, one week before NPP took office.

President John Mahama gave 80% of our bauxite, valued at least $200 billion. Please, listen carefully, over $200 billion, of our national asset, was handed over to one person, who is the younger brother of the President who dashed it to him before leaving office. It took the new government and the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision, to show that what John Mahama did was illegal,” he explained.