General News of Friday, 7 July 2017

Source: ghanapoliticsonline.com

We will not allow anyone to destroy Dzifa Attivor’s reputation – Volta Caucus

The volta caucus consider madam Attivor as a great pillar and an icon in the volta region The volta caucus consider madam Attivor as a great pillar and an icon in the volta region

The Volta Caucus of the National Democratic Congress in the Greater-Accra region has registered their displeasure about comments made by Mr Tawiah Boateng, Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC.

Whilst speaking on Accra based radio station okay FM on Tuesday, Mr Tawiah Boateng mentioned that one of the major causes of the NDC’s 2016 electoral defeat is the financial malfeasance scandal on the bus branding saga led by Hon Dzifa Attivor as transport minister that rocked the then government.

In a statement copied to Ghanapoliticsonline.com, the Volta Caucus alluded that Hon Dzifa Attivor served Ghana and the NDC faithfully with clean conscience and cannot be intimidated by such desperate and irresponsible comments .

Below is the press release: Press release

6th July 2017

RE: The call on government to jail Hon Dzifa Attivor

The Greater Accra NDC volta caucus have considered thouroughly and with deep regret statements made by the Eastern Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Tawiah Boateng on Tuesday 4th July 2017 on Okay FM, and reported in other media outlets to the effect that the ‘Bus Branding’ brohala was the cause of the defeat of the NDC in the 2016 general elections and further calling on the NPP Government to ensure her prosecution.

Before we react to this matter, we wish to reiterate the following:

1. The Committee that investigated the ‘Bus Branding’ contract did not find Hon Dzifa Attivor culpable of any wrong doing, or for any act in breach of public trust, neither did it find her acting in any way for her private gain;

2. The branding of the Metro Mass Buses was a collective decision of Government; in particular a Cabinet decision informed by a general policy measure to honour our past Leaders of which Hon Dzifa Attivor was obliged to implement as Minister of Transport;

3. Consequently in relation to the points above, we find it necessary to state that the processes leading to implementation was supervised and approved by the seat of government.

It is in this vain that we take very serious exception to the obvious ill motives of Mr. Tawiah Boateng.

We do not want to believe that he still holds the baseless grudge against Hon Dzifa Attivor as a result of his removal from the Board of Directors of the Driver Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in 2013 when she assumed office as Transport Minister, disregarding that reconstitution of boards is the prerogative of the President. With regards to his assertion that Hon Dzifa Attivor is the reason why the NDC lost the 2016 general elections; we wish to state that he has proven to be pedestrian and dishonest.

As a matter of fact, after the electoral defeat the National Executive Committee of party put together a fact finding committee to ascertain the issues that led to our defeat. The committee has since finished it’s work and the findings submitted to NEC.

We are yet to cite any portions of the report which suggest that Hon Dzifa Attivor singlehandedly caused our defeat, rather, we have heard executive members of the Eastern Regional NDC rightly accusing their chairman, Mr Tawiah Boateng of massive embezzlement of campaign funds. For us, this is the meat of the matter.

Can Mr. Tawiah Boateng tell us what happened to the Agenda 50-50 for which cause he received huge resources, a quarter of all national campaign funds, only to deliver our worst result ever in the Eastern Region to the extent of losing Upper Manya Krobo seat- a traditional NDC seat to the NPP?

This man should be the last person to blame anyone for our defeat after supervising the most corrupt, wasteful and incompetent campaign effort ever imagined in Ghana’s political history in the Eastern Region. In fact the Agenda 50-50 represented the hope of the NDC but he allowed his greed to bring the NDC down.

The news in town is that this whole effort was cooked by some faceless persons who are desperate to shift the blame of the defeat from their heads to selfless and dedicated party members. We do not want to believe it but then again, we would want to caution those hiding behind Tawiah Boateng and engaging in this needless and divisive politics to watch it.

We wish to conclude that Hon Dzifa Attivor served Ghana and the NDC faithfully and with clean conscience and cannot be intimidated by such desperate and irresponsible comments.

The volta caucus consider madam Attivor as a great piller and an icon in the volta region and will not allow self serving individuals to destroy her hard earned reputation.

We consider Tawiah Boateng’s belligerence as an attack on the entire ndc volta caucus and sees it necessary for this timely response.