By Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.
I have descended on him heavily when I felt the need and occasion to do so; and so nobody can legitimately accuse yours truly of having bought into the corner of Mr. Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, general-secretary of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). For instance, when Sir John, as he is popularly known, lit unfairly into Nana Akomea, then communications director of the Akufo-Addo 2012 presidential campaign, in a rank-pulling manner, I did not hesitate to call him to order. And when in the wake of his epic caper involving the fleecing of the Ghanaian taxpayer to the scandalous tune of C 50 million-plus, in what has widely come to be known as "Woyomegate," I did not hesitate to express my surprise at the fact that Mr. Owusu-Afriyie would consent to batting for such a morally and legally despicable character.
I would also rather that Sir John squarely focused on why he believes himself to be the New Patriotic Party's scribe of choice in the party's upcoming congressional confabulation and delegates' primaries in the Northern Regional Capital of Tamale, rather than lamely presume to impugn the integrity of Nana Ohene-Ntow, his scribal predecessor, and Mr. Peter Mac Manu, the former NPP National Chairman. Unless, of course, Sir John is fully convinced and has forensically sustainable evidence proving that, indeed, these two gentlemen are on an insidious missionary war-path to scuttle his chances of being retained as the party's General-Secretary.
Reading through some of the media fare on the preceding subject, it well appears that, indeed, Sir John feels that he is being tendentiously dogged by Messrs. Mac Manu and Ntow. If such belief has validity, then it can hardly be gainsaid that Sir John has every right to strike back in the best way that he knows how. On the latter score, Mr. Owusu-Afriyie is widely reported to have accused Messrs. Mac Manu and Ntow of having absconded with vehicular properties belonging to the New Patriotic Party at the time of their exit from the executive ranks of the same.
Instead of either affirming or denying such allegation of actionable criminality, Mr. Ntow is reported to be threatening to open what he terms as a "Pandora's Box" on Sir John, unless the latter ceases and desists forthwith. Mr. Ntow has also accused Mr. Owusu-Afriyie of incessantly indulging in "slanderous and vituperative attacks" on both people within and without the party. If, indeed, Mr. Ntow is convinced of the downright mendacity of what he is alleged to have been publicly accused by Sir John of being culpable of, then, of course, common sense ought to counsel him to head for the civil court with a defamation suit. For it cannot be legitimately said that Sir John's charge regarding Messrs. Mac Manu and Ntow's having assumed illegal ownership of vehicular properties belonging to the NPP is tantamount to the accuser's "casting a slur on the NPP," especially should it turn out that Sir John has a modicum of verity, or truth, to his accusation.
The identity and institutional integrity of the New Patriotic Party cannot be legitimately equated with the identity, moral and personal integrity of Messrs. Mac Manu and Ntow. No such assertion could be at once more preposterous and presumptuous.
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*Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.
Department of English
Nassau Community College of SUNY
Garden City, New York
April 2, 2014
E-mail: okoampaahoofe@optimum.net
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