General News of Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Source: Asempa fm

Ex-cocaine convict not NPP financier - Sir John

The General Secretary of the Opposition New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie has denied claims by the Africa Watch Magazine that one Nana Opoku Ofori-Atta who is alleged to be an ex-cocaine convict is a financier of the Party.

According to Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, as far as he is concerned “the so-called Nana Opoku is neither an NPP member nor a Financier by records at the party office.

The latest episode of the monthly magazine, African-Watch has published that the flagbearer of the NPP is faced with another stumbling block.

According to the magazine, “another top member of his inner circle has been tied to a criminal past involving drug trafficking. As a result some leading party figures want Akufo-Addo to clean his house”.

According to the magazine, the said Nana Opoku Ofori-Atta is a cousin of Nana Akuffo-Addo and a leading financier for the party in the 2008 general elections which has exacerbated the issue of drug tag against the opposition leader.

However, speaking to Asempa FM Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie popularly known as Sir John noted that there is no record of the said Nana Opoku being the party’s financier, adding that in the 2008 elections, a lot of people contributed their quota to the campaign of the party so nobody can claim to be a sole financier.

“In fact I do not know him, I have never heard his name and don't even know him as a party member. There are no records of such nature so what is Africanwatch talking about” he said.

He emphasized that in the history or structures of the NPP, there is nothing like financier so the magazine’s publications should be treated with contempt.

“It is the contributions of individuals but not from a particular group".

He discounted claims by the magazine that because Nana Opoku is a cousin of Nana Addo, it will ruin the campaign adding that the NPP Flagbearer cannot be held responsible for any act caused by a family member.

He also rubbished claims by the magazine that Nana Addo’s family members are hijacking the party campaign.

He took a swipe at President Mills who is being described by the magazine as morally upright person, saying that Mills himself knows that it is not true.

“Someone who will leave the wife and family to have another child outside his marriage cannot be described as morally upright” he asserted.

He added that "President Mills who is always engaged in political hypocrisy can never be morally upright”.