AKUFO ADDO SILENT ON V8 CAR GIFT

Flag bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, has accused President John Dramani Mahama of sharing Toyota Land Cruisers to bait Ghanaians into voting for him in this year’s election.

“This year, they are distributing (Toyota Land cruiser) Prados. They will starve you for 4 years and only show up to bring you goodies a few months to elections so you vote for them… After taking the goodies, and voting for them, the hunger returns and will be worse than what you experienced in the past,” Nana Akufo-Addo alleged.

The three-time NPP flag bearer’s accusation comes on the heels of media reports he had received a used 2004 model Toyota Land Cruiser in 2008 from a wealthy contractor as donation for his campaign and also accepted Toyota Prado and other goodies from a current Chief Executive of a state institution (name withheld).

While many were expecting Nana Akufo-Addo to respond to these allegations, more so, when members of his party have leveled bribery allegation against President Mahama for accepting a Ford Expedition vehicle from a Burkinabe contractor, he chose to direct his anger at the president.
He claimed President Mahama embarked on similar vote-buying strategies in the run-up to the 2012 campaign and has called on Ghanaians to be wary of such ploy.

“In 2012, they shared so many items. It was our taxpayer’s money that was used for this. That is why we are suffering today. It has started again,” Nana Addo said when he kicked off his tour of the Eastern region last week.

The 2016 NPP flag bearer was reported to have accepted a Toyota Land cruiser gift with registration number GE 1466 Z in 2008 from a contractor of Northern extraction in his capacity as NPP 2008 flag bearer and subsequently registered it in his personal name.

The car was later confiscated to the state in 2009 by the Customs Exercises and Preventive Service (CEPS) following investigation which revealed custom duties paid in respect of the vehicle was undervalued by 68.27%.

Though CEPS investigations later cleared Nana Akufo-Addo, who received the vehicle as a gift from the said northern contractor of any wrong doing, a GH¢13,007.31 import duty due on the vehicle was restored instead of the paltry GH¢ 4,127.30 paid by importers of the car.
Aside the shipping agent been ordered to pay the differentials in the duty, CEPS further slapped a penalty of GH¢17,760.02.
The donor, who resides in Accra purchased the luxurious vehicle from Crystal City Motors Ltd at Dzorwulu in Accra in 2008 at a cost of GHC100, 000 (or $100,000) after which he had it registered in Nana Akufo-Addo’s name.
It was also reported that, Nana Akufo-Addo’s reluctance in commenting on the alleged car bribery to President Mahama was to avoid being exposed as a recent receiver of a Land Cruiser Prado vehicle which was to be given to his wife, Rebecca Akufo-Addo and other goodies from a current Chief Executive of a state institution.

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With allegations of him receiving land cruiser in 2008 from a contractor and also accepting a Toyota Prado and other goodies from a CEO of a state institution on behalf of his wife is still hanging, Nana Akufo-Addo instead chose to press more corruption charges against president Mahama.

Addressing party supporters during his tour of the Eastern region, Nana Akufo-Addo accused President Mahama of resorting to “goodies-for-votes” campaign to buy the conscience of the electorate.
Meanwhile, The aL-hAJJ has gathered from close sources that some kingpins of Nana Akufo-Addo are impressing on him to deny this paper’s publication, but he is alleged to have told them that it is better to remain silent on.