Corruption, thievery have engulfed Akufo-Addo’s govt – NDC asserts

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says the Akufo-Addo government has been plagued with ‘endemic corruption and thievery’, suggesting the NPP aspirants in the just ended parliamentary primaries used proceeds from corruption to induce delegates for votes.

The party at a news conference Monday wondered how the NPP which three years ago had to raise funds from even head porters to fund its political activities, has now gotten money to exhibit what it termed opulence at last Saturday’s parliamentary primaries.

National Communications Director of the NDC, Sammy Gyamfi who addressed the news conference said: “The entire primaries was conducted in an environment where those who could afford the biggest pecuniary or monetary inducement carried the day”.

He claimed while some aspirants bribed delegates with money, others used electrical and other gifts to influence delegates to vote for them.

“Huge amounts of money; in some cases 6,000 cedis per delegate, 5,000 cedis per delegate, 4,000 cedis per delegate and so on, exchanged hands…while material gifts such as refrigerators, flat-screen televisions, motorbikes, tricycles and other valuables were distributed to bribe and induced party delegates,” he alleged.

“How a party which few years ago was begging for money from kayaye and street hawkers, how a party which few years ago toured the world with a cup in hand begging for money can afford this level of opulence and ostentation three-and-a-half years of coming into office, speaks volumes of the endemic corruption and thievery that has engulfed the Akufo-Addo government,” he added.

Meanwhile, he said the primaries which saw some 40 incumbent NPP MPs losing their bid for the next general election, was “characterized by obscene violence”.

The defeats, he said, is largely the bad performance of the Akufo-Addo administration, particularly in those areas where the incumbent MPs lost their bid.

“Our checks have revealed that many first time MPs lost their seats because no developmental projects have been undertaken in their constituencies in the last three and half years” Mr Gyamfi stated.

The results of the primaries, he said, clearly demonstrate a vote of no confidence in the Akufo-Addo government.

“The defeat of so many incumbent members of parliament especially those in parliamentary leadership and in government shows that the NPP delegates voted for change and passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence in their own government” he said.