Naabu did no wrong in accepting the 'bribe' – Anti-corruption campaigner

The Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu, did no wrong in accepting the bribe allegedly offered him by President John Dramani Mahama and his brother Ibrahim Mahama, an anti-corruption campaigner, Paul Collins Appiah Ofori, has said.

According to him, Mr Naabu took the bribe to be used as evidence against the givers and so he cannot be held liable in this situation.

His comments follow calls by a Deputy General Secretary of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) that Mr Naabu should be arrested for admitting taking bribe from Mr Mahama and his brother.

The NPP on Tuesday 29 November alleged that President John Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim, in October this year attempted bribing Bugri Naabu, with two SUVs, separate amounts of GHS3.3million and GHS 500,000, as well as other mouth-watering goodies so that he (Bugri Naabu) would resign from the NPP and launch an acerbic tribal campaign against NPP flag bearer Nana Akufo-Addo by painting him as a “hater of northerners”.

Reacting to the allegation on 505 on Class91.3FM, Mr Anyidoho told Emefa Apawu: “It’s a criminal offence to be bribed under the laws of Ghana, so the police should pick up Bugri Naabu for taking bribe.”

He described the NPP’s allegation as a “cock and bull story”, “wild” and “lies”.

But reacting to the calls for the arrest of Bugri Naabu in an interview with Chief Jerry Forson, host of Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday November 30, Mr Appiah Ofori said: “It is when a receiver of a bribe receives it and keeps quiet on it that it becomes questionable. But there is nothing wrong with it if he takes the bribe and makes it public that someone has bribed him and that this is the evidence.”

He explained: “If I take a bribe and keep quiet about it then I am wrong on the matter. In this case when he, Bugri Naabu, took the bribe, he sent the money into an account to be used as evidence that this is what the president has done, and so for me, he (Mr Naabu) has done no wrong. It is those who gave the bribe who have done the wrong in this case.”