Wuaku Commission: A-G's Falsified GTV News Report

It has now emerged that one of the reasons for the decision of the Andani Gate of Dagbon to boycott the proceedings of the Wuaku Commission is what they perceive as the biased posture of the Attorney-General in favour of the Abudu Gate, manifested in part by the alleged official manipulation of the media coverage of the Commission's proceedings.

Following extensive reportage by the GBC and GTV that three prominent Abudus, all office-holders in the Kufuor administration who resigned in the wake of the Ya-Na's assassination and who have been accused of complicity in the assassination, had been cleared by the Commission, Mr Leo Amengor, the Brong-Ahafo GBC Regional correspondent, was summoned by the Commission to explain the basis for the story that was carried especially on GTV on Sunday, August 18, 2000. The three affected Abudus are General Joshua Hamidu, former National Security Adviser, Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu Malik, former Minister of Interior, and Prince Andani, former Northern Regional Minister. Mr Leo Amengor told the Commission that the story he faxed to Accra was different from what was broadcast on GTV.

He denied writing that the Commission had cleared the three Abudus and tendered his original scripts as evidence. Mr Amengor disclosed to the Commission that his superior officer in Accra, Ms. Lucy Brown, Deputy Director of TV, informed him that the story was changed in Accra on the instructions of the Attorney-General's Office. Strangely, the Commission did not probe further.

Having summoned Mr Amengor, and having been given these vital leads, one would have expected that the Commission would summon at least Ms. Lucy Brown to find out from her whether Mr Amengor's evidence was true and, if so, who in the Attorney-General's Office gave her the instructions to change the story filed by Mr Amengor. Similarly, one would have expected a summons to go to the Attorney-General's Office to find out on what authority whoever gave the instructions to have the story changed did so. Nothing of the kind was done.

Indeed, the news item reporting Mr Leo Amengor's evidence that it was the Attorney-General's Office that instructed that the GTV story be "doctored" or falsified was itself carried only once on Sunday, August 18, 2002. All subsequent news items on the matter dropped the reference to the Attorney-General's Office as having been the source of the instruction to falsify the story.

In that regard, the decision of the Andanis to boycott the proceedings would seem to be justified. Against the background that the Andanis had twice had occasion to publicly protest against what appeared to them to be a biased and compromising position taken by the Attorney-General, Nana Akufo-Addo himself, especially when he was in Parliament to seek an extension of the state of emergency in the Dagbon area, the additional evidence of an official pro-Abudu conspiracy becomes stronger.

Further evidence to justify the Andanis in their suspicion is provided by rumours that General Joshua Hamidu who purportedly resigned as National Security Adviser in the wake of the Yendi Massacre is in fact still at post and attending work regularly at the Castle Annex, from where he is alleged to be directing operations in connections with the Yendi Debacle.

It is alleged that he presides over security meetings at the Castle Annex and regularly briefs President Kufuor on the security situation in the country. Alhaji Alhassan Yakubu Malik, who also resigned as Interior Minister, is also rumoured to be on his way back into the Cabinet, this time in the elevated position of Minister of Foreign Affairs. Sources close to NPP strategy sessions have revealed that the story about the "clearance" of the three Abudu personalities was designed to test the political waters before any such political moves were made.

However, the storm of protests that greeted the announcement of the falsified story was such that the whole move has been put on ice for some time. Further veracity of the "political come-back" rumour of the three Abudu personalities is given by the fact that for almost four months after the three persons purportedly resigned, no attempt has been made by President Kufuor to fill their positions, even though Parliament has gone through one whole session at which any new nominees could have been considered and approved.

"It is almost as if they are waiting for the Wuaku Commission to clear the three of them so that they can be re-appointed to their positions or to other positions", the same source close to NPP strategy sessions told "Ghana Palaver".