Veep Mad At NPP Vetting

The Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama was visibly not amused yesterday when he turned up at the Kokomlemle office of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for a vetting process which failed to come on even after he had waited for close to half an hour.

The Number Two Citizen and members of his campaign team had virtually taken over the venue of the supposed vetting process, when their guests were nowhere to be found.

In a remark which captured his disappointment, he said: "I came here on the invitation of the Vetting Committee, who asked that I report at 3.00pm and believing in my time, I was here slightly before the time only to see that no member is here. I still love my party. I know this problem would come to pass. Whatever it is, we would see the end of what is happening. Whatever is happening is a problem any member could face and I hope the party would do the right thing at the right time."

The Vice President had to cut short his visit to the Ashanti Region in order to attend the vetting, only to be told that the exercise had been postponed. Daily Guide learnt that Aliu Mahama would now be vetted tomorrow.

His Special Aide, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, who was less diplomatic but speaking for the Number Two Citizen, described the situation as a calculated and mischievous attempt at embarrassing his boss.

This twist to the NPP vetting process is dramatic, as it coincided with a newspaper report suggesting that the Vice President's presidential ambition was under threat because he had no party card. However, Mr Asamoa challenged the publication, calling on the party hierarchy to clear the air about what he described as "the speculative story about my boss" membership card.

The Vice President, he said, was not picked from the blue as his adversaries were trying to suggest.Alhaji Aliu Mahama, way back in 1979 and beyond, he recalled, supported the formation of the Busia/Danquah tradition through the provision of logistics to the party in the three Northern Regions.?The Vice President is a party man; nobody doubts his participation in the activities of the party,? he pointed out. On the issue of the party ID card, he said his boss had submitted all documents demanded by the party headquarters, stressing that he had followed due process.

?We have nothing to hide. We have followed the due process that was required by this great party,? he said.As to whether the Vice President was asked not to come for the vetting process by the committee, he replied in the affirmative, saying: ?Due to circumstances beyond the Vetting Committee?s control we were told not to come.?

He however said he was not ready to disclose when the communication took place.?We are here to be vetted. We are not prepared to go into that. Please refer that to the Vetting Committee,? he told the press who sought more information on the subject.He said much as they respected the Standing Orders and the integrity of the Committee made up of eminent personalities of the party, the dignity of the Vice President should not be undermined. The Vice President?s Aide said the Office of the Vice President was not prepared to protest but warned that should the situation recur, they would be prompted to do so.Reacting to the embarrassing situation, a member of the Vetting Committee and immediate past High Commissioner to Canada, Samuel Arthur Odoi-Sykes said it was a case of miscommunication.

?It was a mix-up,? he told Daily Guide. The Committee had come under attack following what observers describe as leakage of the proceedings in the media.Mr. Odoi-Sykes indicated that there was no attempt to embarrass the Vice President.He explained that the Chairman, Prof Daniel Adzei-Bekoe, who is the convener of meetings, had told them that he would not be available for the proceedings and therefore called for a rescheduling of the exercise. He disclosed that Secretary to the Vetting Committee, was then instructed to communicate the message to all affected members and aspirants, including Vice President Aliu Mahama. The Committee, which now holds its sittings at the party?s old headquarters at Kokomlemle in Accra, was to screen the Vice President and Prof Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, former Chief Executive Officer of Korle Bu Teaching Hospital yesterday. Prof Frimpong-Boateng did not turn up.

Mr. Odoi-Sykes debunked allegations that the committee had been leaking information to the media, pointing out that leakages could have come from supporters of aspirants.According to him, some of the aspirants come to the vetting with hordes of supporters who could have learnt about what transpired and relayed it to the media. He said the committee is carrying out its assignment transparently without fear or favour.

Explaining why members of the committee have not taken their seats, the former NPP National Chairman said Major Courage Quashigah (rtd), Chairman of the Organisational Committee, wrote to be excused from duty. In the case of Mr. R.R. Amponsah, Chairman of the Council of Elders, Mr Odoi-Sykes indicated that he is indisposed and therefore could not be part of the exercise.