Woyome Breaks Down

Embattled businessman and financier of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alfred Agbesi Woyome, was seen on Wednesday wailing uncontrollably after he came out of the State Banquet Hall where the body of the late President John Evans Atta Mills was lying in state.

Apparently, the reality of the departure of the late President, his personal friend, dawned on him after he had filed past the inert body.


Mr. Woyome was puffy-eyed when he emerged out of the hall. He walked gingerly to the dais where some NDC top officials including National Chairman Dr Kwabena Adjei and General Secretary Johnson Asiedu-Nketia were seated and crumbled under extreme grief as tears streamed down his cheeks uncontrollably.


At a point, he dabbed his eyes to stop the free-flowing tears, but they just would not stop flowing.


The tearful urge eventually overwhelmed him and to the astonishment of other mourners around, he went to the NDC party Chairman, leaned on him and commenced his bout of uncontrollable weeping.


Mr Asiedu-Nketia tried to comfort him but to no avail. The grieving party gurus tried unsuccessfully to console the crying party financier.

After several minutes, Mr. Woyome felt relieved and left the State House. Alfred Woyome and Kwabena Adjei are said to be close friends.


DAILY GUIDE gathered that President Mills’s death really hit Alfred Woyome hard because he was on very good terms with the ex-President whose administration authorized the payment of GHC51.2million to him for no work done.


Even when President Mills ordered his arrest late January 2012, for allegedly fleecing the country of GH? 52 million in a curious judgment debt clandestinely paid to him between 2010 and 2011, he still maintained a cordial relationship with the President.


When he was arrested following an investigation and subsequent indictment by the Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO) over the fraudulent payment, he did not blame the erstwhile President. He felt he was being made a sacrificial lamb by the clever manipulations of a faceless group within the NDC.


When he was kept for a couple of days at the Police Headquarters, Dr Adjei was one of the key sympathizers who went to give him moral support.

Two weeks ago, when news of the president’s death broke, Mr. Woyome immediately went to the party headquarters to sign the book of condolence.


Even when the media pressed him with questions, he declined to comment, telling journalists that he was not in the mood to entertain media prodding.


Tomorrow, the mortal remains of the dead president would be moved to the Independence Square, and later to the special cemetery cum mausoleum being prepared for him near the driveway of the Osu Castle.**