Spokesperson for the 2010 Hajj Committee, Alhaji Alidu Haruna, has chided the flag bearer of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akufo Addo, for donating water to stranded prospective Hajj Pilgrims and has implicitly described the motive behind the gesture as ulterior and a means of gaining cheap popularity.

To him, the timing of Nana Addo’s donation was suspicious and if the NPP flagbearer truly cared, he would not have made the donation at that particular time.

“Why didn’t he donate the water at the beginning, if he couldn’t give at the beginning of the pilgrimage, he shouldn’t have done it at all,” he stated.

Some five hundred prospective Hajj Pilgrims are still stranded at the Hajj Village near the El-Wak Sports Stadium. They were initially expected to leave Accra for Mecca on Saturday, November 6th but are still in Ghana. There are indications that they might possibly leave for the Holy City on Tuesday November 9th. The NPP flagbearer, perhaps as a gesture of goodwill and to ease their difficulties, donated some bottles of mineral water to the prospective Hajj pilgrims, but the action has been described in some circles as a way of seeking to gain cheap popularity.

Speaking on e-TV’s Newspaper Review Programme AWAKE, Alhaji Alidu said the donation of water was misplaced because the pilgrims did not lack water.

“It is suspicious for a political party to donate to the Hajj pilgrims at this time, the timing for Nana Addo’s donation was wrong; besides the pilgrims needed money not water…Donating water is misplaced and if he is really concerned, he could have gone to the Hajj village to assess the problems the pilgrims are facing before donating to them. Nana Addo should have donated food instead of water,” he added.

Alidu Haruna, said to be working at the Office of the President under the Deputy Chief of Staff asserted that in the eight years of the NPP administration, they failed in their Hajj planning, leaving the pilgrims at the mercy of the weather without any proper accommodation.

“Under him (Nana Addo) during the NPP administration, Hajj pilgrims were always left to sleep in the cold weather and what did he do? If I were Nana Addo, I would have been ashamed to even go there or interfere…My problem with Nana Addo’s donation is the timing; they are creating the impression that there are problems and so he donated when it was not needed,” he added.

A total of nine flights with an average of 266 pilgrims per flight, have from October 25th, 2010, been ferrying Muslim Pilgrims to the Holy city of Mecca, for Hajj 2010.