NPP To Boycott MTN For Vodafone

Credible reports reaching The Herald indicate that the top hierarchy of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has decided to boycott the services of MTN Ghana, the leading communications provider in the country, for what it (NPP leader) thinks is a deliberate effort to sabotage the party’s plan to use the network in raising funds to prosecute the 2012 elections.

An insider hinted The Herald that the NPP leadership had decided to opt for the services of Vodafone instead of MTN, and would soon pass this message down to their membership.

This, the insider said, was in reaction to MTN’s refusal to give the party a short code for 2012 to facilitate its fund raising activities.

According to him, the NPP, led by Nana Akufo-Addo, Whose credibility and image as a leader has been badly bruised by allegations of drug abuse, is desperate and would marshal all efforts and means that would enable it to win the 2012 elections.

“It is for this reason that we shall not allow anybody or group of persons to put impediments on our way to taking over the reigns of government come January 2013”, the insider told this paper.

Efforts by The Herald to reach Mr Jake Obetsebi- Lamptey, Chairman of the NPP proved futile. Several calls to his cell phone number: 0244326537 was unanswered; a text message indicating the subject matter was not also responded to before The Herald went to bed last Sunday.

Mr.Kwodwo Owusu Afriyie, a.k.a Sir John, the rustic general secretary of the NPP could also not be reached on his MTN number: 0244245527.

Meanwhile, MTN has expressed worry about allegations in the media that it is unwilling to grant the NPP a short code for political reasons.

This was contained in a press statement sighted by The Herald, last Friday. The statement, signed by Georgina Fiagbenu, MTN’s corporate communications senior manager, made the assertion that MTN is essentially a commercial multinational organisation that is politically neutral.

“We believe in and remained committed to working with all stakeholders in depending Ghana’s enviable democracy”, said the statement, clarifying its position “MTN Ghana does not typically receive formal requests directly from political parties for the allocation of short codes”.

According to the statement, since March 2011, MTN has engaged the services of an independent contractor who handles all their engagements.

The statement noted that during the2008 election, the company reserved and allocated short codes on request to political parties for similar reasons.

This, she said, was done without discrimination and was in line with MTN’s neutrality policy and adherence to due process.

“ MTN assures the leadership of the NPP and indeed, any other political party that short codes are readily allocated once as formal request is made, and subject to availability of short code” said the statement.

It, however, lamented that “the 2012 short code is unfortunately unavailable as it has already been assigned for other purposes”, but assured the NPP that: “There are, however alternative short codes that could be considered once a formal request is made.”

In a related issue, The Herald’s investigations into the deepening credibility woes of the NPP flagbearer point to an intraparty feud.

Stay in touch with The Herald for this expose.