Re: Jumah accuses Jake & co of Nana bias

The attention of the Office of Nana Akufo-Addo has been drawn to a front page story in the Daily Dispatch of Thursday, May 13, 2010, which was widely circulated via the world wide web with the above headline.

The story stated that the New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, who is a leading member of Mr. Alan Kyerematen's campaign team, has, in a circulated text message, accused the party's national executives, led by its Chairman, Mr. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, of being biased towards Nana Akufo-Addo in the 2012 flagbearership race.

The Asokwa MP's text message read: “TO NATIONAL EXECUTIVES: I have just been informed that you have invited the entire executives of the NPP in the three Northern Regions to Sunyani from 14th to 16th [May]. No agenda was given. Nana will be in town. I am going to be there to monitor, to make sure genuine party business takes place. I am by this, informing all candidates.”

The Office of Nana Akufo-Addo wishes to remind the general public that on Monday, May 10, it issued a press release, which was widely published, outlining his campaign itinerary for the Brong Ahafo Region, from May 11 to May 15.

That release read that the Nana Akufo-Addo’s "campaign team will on Tuesday, 11th May begin their tour of the Brong-Ahafo Region from the Tano South, Tano North, Berekum, Sunyani West and Sunyani East constituencies and continue on Wednesday from Dormah West, Dormah East, Jaman North and Jaman South.

"The Brong-Ahafo regional tour, which was originally scheduled to start on Monday, May 10, was rescheduled to commence on Tuesday, May 11 to allow Nana Akufo-Addo to attend the court hearing of the Ghana International Airline case involving some senior party figures."

Indeed, per the original schedule, Nana Akufo-Addo's BA tour would have ended on Friday, May 14, the very day that Mr. Jumah says the party event with the regional executives from 3 regions will begin.

Nana Akufo-Addo's BA campaign tour, which started on Tuesday, will now end on Saturday, May 15, when he takes his campaign to Sene and Pru. Concluding at Atebubu, far from Sunyani.

Nana Akufo-Addo will spend Saturday in Kumasi, to begin his Ashanti Regional Tour the next day.

Indeed, Nana Akufo-Addo only toured Sunyani on the first day of his regional tour, Tuesday, May 11. On Friday, the day that this party event is said to begin in Sunyani, Nana' takes his campaign to Kintampo South, Kintampo North, Nkoranza North and Nkoranza South.

While every well-meaning NPP person wants a healthy, clean, free, fair and transparent flagbearership contest, we believe that the penchant for some people to rush their complaints or concerns to the mass media on matters that a quiet cross-check within the party can so easily resolve is rather giving the party an undeservedly bad name. Such acts of bad faith run the risk of manufacturing disaffection and avoidable disunity.

We hope this statement clarifies matters.

Thank you.

Herbert Krapa,

Press Aide