President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and members of the governing New Patriotic Party are ready and willing to 'betray' firebrand politician and Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, Managing Editor of the Al hajj Newspaper Alhaji Bature has alleged.
According to the senior journalist and political pundit, the president has demonstrated beyond measure his willingness to disassociate himself from actions and activities of the maverick politician whose stance on a number of issues has left him more enemies than friends on both sides of the political divide.
Alhaji Bature describes President Akufo-Addo's decision to 'ignore' the Assin Central MP during the burial of his mother as not only insensitive but also, an act of betrayal considering the years of service and financial support Mr. Kennedy Agyapong has rendered to the president and the New Patriotic party as a whole.
President Akufo-Addo, Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia, Ex-President John Kufour and NPP National Chairman, Freddie Blay form part of the several who were absent when the Assin Central MP laid his mother to rest last week.
“I must tell him the truth. He should be careful because his party has betrayed him, given his mothers’ funeral. Why was Akufo-Addo not there? Why was Bawumia not there? President Kufuor and Chairman Freddie Blay? These are key members of the NPP and this is not a small man in the party. At least not in terms of age but in terms of his performance in the party and his contributions. He has funded the new patriotic party more than any individual,” Alhaji Bature said on Adom TV's Badwam programme on Tuesday, May 30.
Alhaji Bature quizzed further why the President could not make enough time for a close associate of his despite being informed of the demise of the mother of the Assin Central legislator months back.
“Akufo-Addo knew the date of the funeral 3 months ago, because when she died, we informed him. Is the West African tour more important than Kennedy, after all his efforts to help you to win the elections? He could have rescheduled the trip and come to the funeral to show you solidarity. The President and the Vice had no reason not be at the funeral,” he said.
But Kennedy Agyapong has refuted the claims by Mr. Bature saying he was fully aware the President could not make it for the funeral due to engagements in some other African countries.
President Akufo-Addo began an ECOWAS tour on the 20th of May 2017, the exact day Kennedy Agyapong was to lay his mother to rest. Vice President Mahmud Bawumia was also said to be on tour in the Northern Region of Ghana on official duty. But Mr. Bature insists, the excuses being given are not tangible enough saying the act suggests an attempt to distance themselves from the one individual whose honesty and bluntness has caused the president a lot of sleepless nights.
“It is also a warning to him, a signal to him that not all that glitters is gold. It happens. If you are in an organization you need to be very careful, it is not everybody that will like you. Given the stance that he normally takes, both parties don’t like it and that is what played out Saturday. Let’s speak the truth, what they did was not nice, even though the first and second ladies where there,” Alhaji Bature added.
Alhaji recalled knowing the Late Janet Yaa Biama during his youthful days and expressed remorse at not being able to attend the funeral ceremony as he had some dispute to settle with her.
“I was hurt because I could not come for the funeral. I should have been there, given the kind of relationship we have. Especially because when his mum was alive I had some issues with her and I could not see her to settle the matter before she passed. It would have been nice for me to be there. I have known her since 1985.”
