Tell Ghanaians the truth and retire with dignity – Kennedy Agyapong to Urban Roads Director

The Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has called on the Director for Urban Roads, Alhaji Abass, to speak on the video that captures Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo allegedly receiving bribe from his [Alhaji Abass] wife Hajia Fawzia Karim.

According to the lawmaker, Alhaji Abass’s failure to address the issue will be a disgrace on his hard-earned reputation, adding that the wife will be the cause. He motioned that Abass could be considered as an accomplice if he fails to heed his counsel.

“I’m surprised Alhaji Abass’s name has been mentioned and he has not come out to speak on the issue... You Abass, if your wife disgraces you like this and you don’t respond, even the people you work with will be afraid of you," he said.

The outspoken MP thus urged the Urban Roads Director to let Ghanaians in on the true story behind the leaked tape that captured Akufo-Addo receiving an amount of money concealed in a brown envelope.

Hajia Fawzia Karim, the woman at the centre of the two video clips, is said to be the second wife of Alhaji Abass.

In the last couple of days, two video clips with the same setting and scenery but with different narrations have been in circulation, stoking a conversation about whether or not President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has gone against his pledge to not condone any act of corruption.

One of the files which sought to suggest Akufo-Addo’s incorruptible tag was a mere gimmick, forms part of a forty-minute supposed investigative piece by the Salis Newspaper that uncovers how the President was influenced with an amount of $40,000 concealed in a brown envelope to ignore corruption and NDC affiliation claims against Director of the Department of Urban Roads, Alhaji Abass Awolu.

In the said video, Alhaji Abass, according to the narrator, sent a delegation to the President in his private residence in Nima. “They were led to the president by Ghana’s Ambassador to the United States, Dr. Adjei Bawuah. In his company was a woman and a man who were introduced as wife and brother of the Director of Urban Roads.”

A second video, however, suggests otherwise. Although the scene and personalities are same as Salis Newspaper’s, the conversation is entirely different; it’s a donation and not a bribe. The unseen man, who the newspaper in its report claims is the brother of Alhaji Abass, is rather heard discussing how they could assist in the electioneering campaign.

The footage suggests that the three personalities [Ambassador Bawuah, a lady and a man whose face is not captured] had been to Akufo-Addo’s home to offer resources in order to grease the wheels of his campaign.

The main opposition NDC insists it was a bribery scene involving the President, stressing it was aimed at making him soften his hands over the allegations against Alhaji Abass. The government has however denied the claims as it says the video has been doctored. According to the government, the footage was shot in 2016. It adds that Hajia Fawzia rather made a donation of GH¢40,000 towards then-candidate Akufo-Addo's campaign contrary to assertions that he was given $40,000 as a bribe.

It is based on this Kennedy Agyapong has asked Alhaji Abass to tell Ghanaians the whole truth about the matter.

Speaking on NET2 TV National Agenda, monitored by GhanaWeb, he said, “…So, I think Abass should come out to let Ghanaians know the true story. If not, they are sacrificing him.”

“Also, if he thinks he is left with 4 months to retire therefore he doesn’t care, that’s fine, but the 4 months left, you have to retire with dignity. You cannot let your wife destroy the reputation you built over the years.”

“You still look fine in your 60 years, and if you retire, you can have a very big company and be a consultant for big companies so you cannot allow your wife to destroy your reputation because if he doesn’t speak on this matter, he will be disgraced for life."

Meanwhile, Hajia Fawzia has noted that the said footage was recorded in 2016 when the latter was the presidential candidate for then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), contrary to suggestions by the Salis Newspaper and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that it is a current video.

In her interview with Asaase Radio, Hajia Fawzia mentioned that the footage has been doctored, adding that they had visited candidate Akufo-Addo to donate towards his 2016 campaign. According to her, she donated 1000 t-shirts and GH¢40,000 on the said day out of her own volition.

“It was before the 2016 elections. I had about 1000 t-shirts which had the pictures of the then-presidential candidate and his vice and added an amount of GH¢40,000 to support Nana. I went there as a party supporter,” she said while expressing shock at the turn out of events.