NPP Man Cites Create, Loot & Share In Party

…Demands Accountability From Flagbearer’s Fundraising Trips Abroad

The operation to raise funds and prosecute the 2016 Presidential and Parliamentary Campaign, has left a bitter taste in the mouths of some member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who told The Herald that, the move dubbed “Donate for change” is simply “a create, loot and share scheme” by Nana Akufo-Addo and his kitchen cabinet of family and friends.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with this paper yesterday, the Communications Director of NPP appendage “Save NPP Now”; Kofi Baah Acheamfour, demanded from Nana Akufo-Addo, a detailed account to the party’s rank and file on his numerous Fund Raising campaigns abroad for the NPP.

According to the youth activist, the NPP flagbearer, has been in America, UK, Holland and Germany, seeking and collecting cash in the name of the party, but has failed to a render comprehensive account to the Finance Committee, Steering Committee, as well as the National Executive Council (NEC).

He revealed that, a whopping US$120 million was placed at the disposal of Nana Addo for use at both 2008 and 2012 elections, but various constituencies only got GH¢5,000.

Nana Addo, his family and friends, were seen in luxurious cars, building and buying plush private houses in expensive locations, including Cantonments, East Legon and Dzorwulu in Accra.

For the this reason, the former aide to the late Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey , is particularly at a lost why the leadership of the party, especially Nana Addo, is once again calling on the rank and file of the party to “put 1 Ghana Cedi in his pocket” having failed to reveal the whereabouts of those
he got from abroad.

He insisted that most of those trips abroad by Nana Addo, his wife, Rebecca, and close family members, were sponsored by the party, yet no account was ever rendered to the organization, adding “lack of accountability in the party makes it look as though the party is Nana’s personal property. These trips are done without members of the Finance Committee to keep records of the proceeds”.

Mr. Baah Acheamfour, who had petitioned the NEC and Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service over the Ecobank Account brouhaha, calling for a probe, arrest and prosecution of some party executives, including Freddie Blay, does not trust that the proceeds from the “Donate for change” will be used properly for the benefit of the party.

To him, both the party and the flagbearer, have not lived above reproach, when it comes to party cash matter, therefore, he believe Nana Addo, his family and friends, including Ken Ofori-Atta ,who is in-charge of campaign funds, are only out to get money for their personal use.

He queried why Nana Addo, would once again engage his cousin, Mr. Ofori-Atta, a former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Data Bank, who on the blindside of the NPP, collected over GH¢2,290 million loan from Prudential Bank, leaving it as a debt for the NPP to deal with, as Director of NPP Campaign cash.

For him, Ken Ofori-Atta, is not a committed NPP member, because he only pops up during elections to manage campaigns and desert the party to manage his private business, when elections are over and the party badly defeated.

He rubbished the “Donate for change” saying the suspended National Chairman, Paul Afoko, suspended General Secretary, Kwabena Agyapong and Suspended Second Vice Chairman, Sammy Crabbe, had a better scheme to raised funds for the party, but was pushed out by Nana Addo, and his men.

He explained that, the Paul Afoko-led scheme was to go with a new membership recruitment drive, where new members were going to get electronic debit cards that automatically resources the party, anytime a member buys something both in Ghana and abroad.

Mr. Baah-Acheamfour, demanded which bank account the proceeds from the “Donate for change” will be lodged. Is it going into the same Ecobank Account, Ken Ofori-Atta’s Data Bank or the NPP Operations bank account at the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) and who are those in-charge”.

But the National Treasurer of the party, Kwabena Abankwah Yeboah, has said that the funds from the ‘Donate for change campaign’ launched on Wednesday, would specifically be transferred into the party’s account.

“We are soliciting for funds and asking all who believe in the party and see a need for change to come on board. We aren’t asking for much, anything anyone can contribute. It can even be 1 cedi. All the amounts which will be donated will go into the NPP’s account” Mr. Yeboah who was also cited in the secret Ecobank Account, said.

Speaking on CitiFM’s Point Blank on Eyewitness News, he explained that the party had resorted to this strategy of raising funds, because “all the funds for election cannot come from one source.”

“It is better to widen the network and work on innovative measures to get funds for the campaign,” he further explained.

All NPP funds were not properly accounted for last year, the party was in the news for the wrong reasons, after it emerged that, Mr. Yeboah, and the acting Chairman, Freddy Blay, had allegedly diverted party funds into a secret Ecobank account.

The two have since denied any wrongdoing. The party’s investigations, later confirmed the monies were only transferred into another account, but had not been stolen or misused.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Yeboah, reiterated that he was not guilty of any offense and further revealed that, the party had since put in place measures to deal with the wrong perception Ghanaians had formed about issues relating to the party’s finances.

“Every penny in NPP’s account is being accounted for,” Mr.Yeboah stated.

He further revealed that the appropriate sanctions would be applied to persons found misappropriating campaign funds.