We didn’t take bribe NDC; Oguaa Council debunks PPP’s allegations

The Oguaa Traditional Council has refuted allegations that they took a whooping GHS10,000 from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to break traditions to enable the NDC launch its 2016 campaign in Cape Coast Sunday.

The Oguaa Traditional Council had announced that the ban on drumming and noise-making which forms part of the preparations for the Fetu Afahye festival would be lifted on Friday, August 12.

The lifting of the ban comes just two days before the NDC’s scheduled campaign launch at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium. But the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) parliamentary candidate for Cape Coast North Constituency, Mrs. Sarah Mary Buckman suspects the lifting of the ban was brought forward just to favour the NDC. She is therefore accusing the Traditional Council of accepting GHS10, 000.00 from the NDC to sidestep tradition.

Reacting to the allegations on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa hosted by Bright Asempa, the Tufohene of Oguaa Traditional Council, Nana Kwame Edu VI explained that extensive consultation was done when the Council received the NDC letter expressing interest in holding its campaign launch there.

“Sacrifices have been done but I can’t reveal my tradition in public because if goats were slaughtered to pacify the gods, this should not be disclosed to the public”. Nana Edu VI explained the ban is in three fold: ban on noise making and drumming; ban on fishing in the lagoon and ban on funeral.

The Spokesperson for the Oguaa Tradition Council explained that the ban on noise making and drumming would end on Friday but “the rest would be lifted in due course. The ban on funerals would be lifted on the 2nd week of September and the ban on fishing would be lifted when the Bakatue festival is being done”. The Central Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Bernard Allotey Jacobs has also refuted the allegation.

“A lot of discussions went into it and there has been an antecedent. Being a Cape Coaster, I have seen it happening there before, so the NDC did not bribe the chiefs to pave way for the launch”. Allotey Jacobs said “what Nananom did means they are looking for development” and that is what is going to happen in Central Region.