Leaked 2012 Presidential Debate IEA Capo “Admits”

-To being Source of Rumour

A research fellow at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Dr Ransford Yaw Gyampo has, inadvertently but shockingly, confessed to being the source of opposition New Patriotic Party’s spurious claim that the policy think tank leaked questions of its 2012 presidential debate to President John Dramani Mahama.

Dr Gyampo, who is also a senior lecturer at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, unconsciously made the startling confession while responding to accusation by Chief Executive Officer of Ghana Free Zones Board, Kwadwo Twum Boafo, that he told students during a lecture that the current Minister of Education, Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang leaked the debate questions to the President.

Stunned and perhaps, short of a response to dispel Kwadwo Twum Boafo’s allegation, Dr Gyampo instead alleged that the Free Zones Board CEO has planted some undercover agents on him and other lecturers at the University of Ghana.

The university lecturer stated on Adom News that “Some students have been contracted to come and record lectures and send to the likes of Kwadwo Twum Boafo and other politicians but they must know that University of Ghana has academic freedom…”

This was after Kwadwo Twum Boafo had accused him of telling students during one of his Political Science Lectures that Prof Opoku Agyemang’s appointment to head the Education Ministry was a reward for the role she played in leaking some questions to President Mahama.

“One of their (IEA) researchers, standing in a classroom in Legon, a so-called Political Science Lecturer and telling children that the current Education Minister, Prof Naana Opoku Agyemang…got an appointment as a minister because she had leaked debate questions to President Mahama and that is the height of insult.

“Ransford Gyampoh has the balls to go and stand in a classroom and say she was appointed minister simply because she leaked questions to President Mahama,” the GFZB CEO alleged on Accra-based Radio Gold.

But in a feeble riposte, Dr. Gyampoh who though denied the allegation and described it as unfounded; his only alibi was that Kwadwo Twum Boafo is not a student of the University of Ghana and hence never heard the details of his lectures.

He went on further to say Kwadwo Twum Boafo was deliberately peddling untruth as a means of ‘cowing me into submission but this would not wash’.

Some leading members of the NPP have since the 2012 presidential debate accused the IEA of leaking questions to President John Mahama ahead of the debate to give him advantage over Nana Akufo-Addo and the other presidential candidates.

The party’s Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr Mathew Opoku Prempeh in 2014 stated on Rainbow Radio that he had evidence to back the NPP’s claim.

He could not fathom why Prof Naana Opoku Agyemang, who moderated the debate together with Kwadwo Oppong Nkrumah, now 2016 NPP parliamentary candidate for Ofoase Ayirebi, was appointed Minister of Education by President Mahama after winning the 2012 elections.

While the NPP is yet to provide proof of the claims against the former vice chancellor of University of Cape Coast, Dr Ransford Gyampo’s statement that indeed, some students have been contracted to spy on them inadvertently, gives him up to being the source of the allegation.

Irked by the conduct of students to divulge what he is alleged to have said about the Education Minister, the political science lecturer called on parents to advise their wards to be cautious in their interactions with politicians.

“I am advising parents to warn their kids from being used by politicians, some politicians have contracted some of the students…while in class, some of the students whatsapp in class…when I investigated, I realized that some of them have been contracted by politicians like Kwadwo Twum Boafo to always come to class and whatsapp instead of listening to the lecture…,” he said