Politics of Thursday, 26 October 2017

Source: 3news.com

NDC’s Fred Agbenyo attacks radio host over Kwesi Botchwey report

Fred Agbenyo is the Deputy Communications Director of NDC Fred Agbenyo is the Deputy Communications Director of NDC

A Deputy Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fred Agbenyo, did not take kindly to questions asked him about the Kwesi Botchwey Committee’s report on 3FM’s Sunrise, directing the show host to pick a party card if he wants to know about the content of the report.

Some media firms have made references to the report, which reviews the 2016 election loss of the NDC. But the party has dismissed those references, saying they are all spurious as the report has not been made public yet.

Former President John Dramani Mahama, who led the NDC into the reviewed election, mocked references made from the ‘report’ by some media firms, saying it has become a handbook which appears to have solutions to every single problem facing the country.

But when he visited 3FM on Thursday to be met with same questions about the content of the report, Mr Agbenyo appeared not happy. “Why do you want to know?” he questioned host Winston Amoah. “If you want to know go and pick a party card.”

He said he cannot fathom how everyone seems to be interested in the report when other political parties like the New Patriotic Party (NPP) also set up committees to look into their performance in the elections.

“Ask NPP to put [the] Dr Addo Kufuor report out!” He said “there are several reports” which journalists must demand, citing, for instance, the report on the attack of ASP Nii Nanka Bruce. “Why only NDC when there are several reports?” Many media firms have laid claim to the full 455-page report though the NDC has admitted the Executive Summary was projected at a National Executives Committee (NEC) meeting.

When host Winston Amoah asked if the Executive Summary may be the leaked portion of the report, Mr Agbenyo retorted: “Have you commissioned us to put [together] any report?” But People’s National Convention’s National Chairman Bernard Mornah, who was also on the programme, disagreed with Mr Agbenyo, saying the same way the inauguration of the election review committee was made public, its report must be made public.

Mr Mornah only raised concerns about the seeming heightened interest of the NPP in the report.