NPP Family War: Jake Vs. Wayo

Two of the most sparkling 'show boys' during the opposition days of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi Lamptey and Charles Kofi Wayo, are ensconced in an unending battle over who is what.

Over the last couple of weeks, the grapevine had been agog with the rumour that Jake was sent reeling to a hospital bed from a deadly blow dealt him by the Nima Boy (Wayo) in a fierce exchange of fire the two pentagenarians engaged each other in on a programme hosted on Radio Gold, an Accra FM station.

The deadly blow, according to the Palaver Newspaper, which replayed the Gold programme verbatim, was a claim by Wayo that he, Jake, had once described the President and NPP leader as an "Ashanti Bastard."

The equally aggressive Jake had described Kofi Wayo as "a loud-mouthed braggart" who did little to help citizens and the nation but boasted of being benevolent.

Jake accused Wayo of throwing a lady who claimed to have a son with Wayo's late brother out of his house.

While he was talking all the time about helping so many other children all around the place, it was people, like myself, who were doing their little bit to try to help that lady," the minister fired.

Jake also described Wayo as one who is fond of pulling guns in public to attack people, including ladies.

He alleged that Wayo must be wreaking vengeance on him Jake, having lost his bid to buy the Tema Oil Refinery. "He has taken it upon himself that for some reason, he feels slighted perhaps that when he offered, I don't know how many $30 million or something to purchase the TOR, I ... I am not seen as supporting his bid."

From Gold, in Accra, Wayo moved the boxing ring to Tema's Adom FM. On a morning newspaper review programme, Wayo accused Jake of inviting him to join a management that was to handle funds set up to manage funds meant for the May 9, Accra Stadium disaster.

According to 'Chuck,' who was at his articulating best, Jake, who is the Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, claimed both of them were to manage the fund in such a way that some money could be lodged in the personal account of the minister.

This, Wayo asserted, he objected to on the grounds that it was 'blood money.'

Ravaging Wayo, in the next spell, was describing the minister as a person, not interested in the welfare of Ghanaians, but - rather - that of foreigners some of whom he might be doing business with.

Such was Wayo's poise to destroy the minister, who was then hospitalised, that when his aide, Ferdinand O. Ayim, called in to defend his boss he engaged Ayim in what could be described as an articulation competition.

The verdict of many was that Wayo succeeded in 'burning all the gas' that Freddie entered the ring with.

As the minister has fortunately recovered Chronicle, yesterday, reached him on phone over the stadium disaster allegation. But Jake vehemently denied ever visiting Kofi Wayo to ask him to join him manage the disaster fund.

Chronicle can say that the Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey-Kofi Wayo saga is a big embarrassment not only to the pleasant-looking minister but also to the entire government and the party. Boardroom meetings have been held late into the night to try to establish the authenticity of the embarrassing "expose" and to deal with Jake or both of them, it was further learnt.

What has recently gained currency in the party is that Wayo is possessed with an inordinate ambition to become president of the Republic through a short circuit. Those who explain his recent attacks on this theory refer to the fact that Wayo has not sought to "destroy" Jake alone but has slighted President Kufuor - the very leader of the party he, Wayo, claims to be a member of.

Strategists in the party are still grappling with how to handle the "Bad Boy" in their midst without bruising the democratic credentials of the NPP, Chronicle can say.

How one senior citizen in their midst described Wayo was, "he is the typical Santrofi bird: if you pick him home you carry along calamity but if you leave him in the bush you lose some fortune."

The dilemma the party is facing, discerning from the on-going, is whether to take Wayo on a frontal attack and expose their defences to the opportunistic opposition or leave him to enjoy a field day.