Kweku Baako 'fires back' at Afoko over 'liar' comment

Kweku Baako, Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Guide, has fired back at the suspended Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Paul Afoko.

Spokesperson for Paul Afoko, Nana Yaw Osei accused Kweku Baako of being a liar, in a statement released on behalf of the NPP suspended leader.

The statement was released in reaction to some comments passed by Kweku Baako on Peace FM's 'Kokrokoo' programme last Wednesday to the effect that Mr. Afoko knew of the training programme for some category of party officers that was handled by some Serbian nationals who came to Ghana allegedly at the behest of the NPP.

The Senior Journalist posited that though he had not read the Africa Watch Magazine, extracts of Mr Afoko's interview culled by some online portals, clearly indicated the suspended Chairman's account of events were inaccurate.

He claimed Mr Afoko addressed NPP members at the said Serbian training programme and never asked that the programme be truncated.

But the camp of Mr. Afoko debunked the claims, stating emphatically that "Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has, for some time, abandoned journalism for propaganda. He should stop holding himself out as an authority on NPP affairs.”

“The demeanour of Kweku Baako in this whole matter smacks of someone who does not have any facts whatsoever to counter the factual content of Mr. Afoko's interview with the Africa Watch magazine, and he must therefore tell his own untruths to further his agenda...

“Mr. Baako lied again that Chairman Afoko after being informed of the Serbian training by the NPP National Women Organiser, Otiko Afisa Djaba, went and stopped the program . . . Nowhere in the interview with the Africa Watch Magazine did Mr. Afoko state that he went to stop the meeting. So where did Kweku Baako get that information from? He must tell the whole world because the magazine is still in circulation," portions of the statement read.

This challenge boldly thrown by Nana Yaw Osei comes against the backdrop of Mr Afoko’s categorical assertion in the said interview to the effect that “These people were out of their minds. They wanted to win the elections on the streets of Ghana and not at the ballot box. That is the militancy I am talking about. I told them that I, Paul Afoko, as Chairman of the NPP would never allow them to take the party on that crazy route. In the presence of the two Serbians, I ADMONISHED OUR PARTY PEOPLE AND ASKED THEM TO LEAVE THE HOTEL AND GO HOME” the Tuesday edition of the New Crusading Guide reported.

But responding to the press statement by the embattled NPP Chair, Kweku Baako told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that the allegations leveled against him are nothing but mere falsehood.

According to him, he has "nothing personal against Paul Afoko. If he will permit, he can consider me a friend because we’ve been friends. I don’t know if he considers me a friend now. I have respect for him. Everybody knows that during the campaign for chairmanship, for some reason (I don’t know who organized it) but I ignored it. My newspaper became the platform to champion his chairmanship aspirations. I defended him against allegations . . . which I thought were not fair to him.”

Contrary to the claims by the Spokesperson for Mr. Afoko that the latter "did not address the participants on the first day of the 4-day training programme as it is being falsely put out into the public domain...", Kweku Baako however "put on record that Afoko spoke on the first day of the training programme. He did. Indeed, before he spoke; Kwabena Agyepong spoke. Kwabena Agyepong spoke first, Afoko spoke second.”

He further posited that the notion created by Mr. Afoko that he (Afoko) admonished his party and asked the Serbians to leave the hotel and go home is "an obvious untruth...There were about 40 party people there; National Organizers, Regional Organizers, Constituency Organizers, Nasara Coordinators, they were there."

He strongly asserted on 'Kokrokoo' that it did not happen as Mr. Afoko claims.

"When he finished addressing them formally that had no hint of ‘stop what you’re doing and go home’. Same with the General Secretary, they left and the meeting (the educational course) continued till the fourth day . . . It went on for four days.

“Mine is the correct version. He spoke to them. If he didn’t know that it was the first day, he should go and check. But indeed he should come forward and tell the whole country; what was the content of his address to the gathering? What did he tell the gathering?”

The seasoned journalist indicated that he has asked for audios and videos of the said "insurrection" training of NPP members by the Serbians which features Mr Afoko addressing the workshop in his capacity as National Chairman, and will soon make them public once he receives them.

“In principle, I don’t have any personal conflict with him. When it comes to politics and he does something I feel it’s not correct, I think I should have the time and space to say No to him and that I have done,” Kweku Baako added.