A Deputy Minister of information, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, says the absence of flagbearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo Addo at Sunday’s 54th Independence Day Anniversary Parade is a clear indication that the NPP leader is not a patriot and very unnationalistic.

He has therefore accused him of apathy to the cause of a nation he intends to lead one day and as a person who “comes to functions late.”

The Deputy Minister however, stressed that the government is not worried about “an opposition leader who decides to carve a bad niche for himself.”

High profile personalities, including politicians, members of the diplomatic corps, civil servants, school children and teachers converged at the Independence Square in Accra to climax activities for the anniversary, but no member of the NPP was officially present.

Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, General Secretary of the NPP, told Peacefm News on Monday that though the party received the invitation, it came in very late on Friday, hence their inability to attend.

But Mr. Okudzeto strongly disputes those assertions.

He was dismissive of the explanations offered by the opposition party stating emphatically that State Protocol, the outfit with the statutory mandate to handle invitations for such an occasion sent out invites to the NPP headquarters one clear week before the Anniversary itself.

“Checks from the State Protocol revealed that Mr. Opare Hammond, an administrator at the NPP headquarters received twenty invitations (on behalf of the NPP) on 28th February at 10:45am,” Mr. Ablakwa said.

The Deputy Information Minister was also uncharitable to the NPP presidential candidate for absenting himself from two important national events in the same week, accusing him of engaging in “pity-nasty” politics with our Independence Day celebration.

“He did that at the constitutional review conference and has done that again on Sunday, at our Independence celebration,” he noted.