The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) has challenged the Majority Leader in Parliament, Alban Bagbin to substantiate his allegation that the party was responsible for the late arrival of the Karpower barge into the country.

The experienced Legislator has claimed that NPP was behind the delay in the arrival of the power barge, after it sent a delegation to Turkey to convince the authorities not to bring the barge to Ghana, in its bid to use the power crisis to campaign against the Mahama-led government.

Bagbin made these wild allegations on Accra-based Neat FM after Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,NPP’s vice presidential candidate, questioned the importance of renting a barge for ten years when government could have bought it.

According to him, its needless wicked propaganda did a great disservice to the country as government had to send another delegation to Turkey to rubbish the NPP’s unpatriotic act, following which the way was paved for the smooth sail of the power barge to Ghana.

“Mahamudu Bawumia is aware that a team from their party even went to Turkey to convince the authorities not to send the power barge so government had to send a team to Turkey to tell them what they were told was untrue,” he alleged.

He emphasized that the members of NPP should be the last people to complain about the power crisis the country is facing now.

“If there is anybody to blame for the delay of the power barge it is NPP for their backbiting against the government," he indicated.

But speaking to JOY FM, the Communications Director of the NPP, Nana Akomea, berated Hon. Bagbin for his baseless accusations against the NPP, adding that such unfounded allegations must not come from someone who holds a high office as the Majority Leader.

He stated that this claim was a wild allegation against the NPP which he (Bagbin) must be made to give evidence to back that assertion.

Nana Akomea noted that the NPP will gain absolutely nothing from such an unpatriotic act which is tantamount to sabotage, adding that Mr Bagbin who is fond of making such unsubstantiated allegations and getting away with it, must this time around be made to prove his case.