Nkrabeah blows over ¢5 billion on campaign

The Member of Parliament(MP) for Berekum and disqualified New Patriotic Party (NPP) aspirant, Captain (Rtd) Nkrabeah Effah Dartey, may have spent over ¢5 billion on all aspects of his campaign from the first day he declared his intention to contest for the flag bearer position of the party, according to The Independent newspaper.

Speaking to the newspaper, at the premises of Parliament yesterday, the retired army officer could not state exactly how much he had spent on his campaign, but indicated that by his experience, none of his colleague aspirants has spent less than ¢5 billion.

Pressed to come clean on the figure, he told the paper that he could not be specific but it would run past ¢5 billion.

He said, "Consider the number of times I have traveled the length and breath of the country, the number of cars I have had to fuel, hotel bills that I've had to pay for myself and members of my campaign team, the food we've had to eat and the provision of transport allowances to those I've had to meet."

According to Hon. Effah-Dartey, who has been disqualified by the NPP vetting committee for being convicted of treason in 1981, he has toured the entire country three times since he declared his intention to contest the flag bearer slot of the party.

He did not however clarify whether the over ¢5 billion he claims to have spent included the ¢5 million non-refundable fee for the nomination forms and the filing fee of ¢250 million.

Throwing more light on the matter that sparked off what has now become known in political circles as the controversial ruling by the vetting committee, the Berekum MP confirmed that, he was arrested by the Military Intelligence (MI) on February 5, 1981 and charged with mutiny and misconduct.

He said, he was discharged on the charge of mutiny upon the submission of no case by the court marshal, but was convicted of misconduct, which is an act of misdemeanour in military circles, and was sentenced to 23 months imprisonment.

Mutiny is a military offence involving junior officers, which is the result of disobedience towards senior officers, which is known in civilian circles as treason or subversion, he explained.

He told The Independent that, the Military Intelligence (MI) created the impression that he wanted to stage a coup and so was picked up along with 47 of his friends, but after thorough investigations, the 47 were discharged after it was detected that the charges were bogus.

The NPP aspirant, whose political slogans are "By the Grace of God" and "Ma twen Awurade Anim," told the paper that, subsequent to his conviction, he was sent to the Nsawam prison to begin his 23 months imprisonment term, but the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) granted him pardon immediately after the December 31, 1981 coup.

He said, he is not worried about the money he had spent so far on his campaign tours and said, "Some people buy new cars and within a twinkling of an eye the cars are involved in accidents or get burnt, while others put up mansions that could get burnt with the least electrical fault or another mishap.

"I have likened my situation to one of these and so I am not too worried about the development," he stated and added, "It is God who ordains leaders so if it is his wish, by the Grace of God I will sail through with my appeal."

The Professor Adjei Bekoe-led vetting committee on Thursday disqualified Captain (Rtd) Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey and indicated that, if it should allow Effah-Dartey to contest, that would amount to the breach of Article 62 of the 1992 Constitution.

Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey, who said he did not anticipate the unfolding development, emphasised that, "I was not convicted for treason or mutiny, but an act of misconduct, which is only a misdemeanour."

He said, the vetting committee's ruling is a dangerous precedence for Ghana's democracy if it is allowed to stay in the records.

The Berekum MP is of the view that, his appeal to the National Executive Committee (NEC) will be upheld to enable him take part in the flag bearer contest of the NPP scheduled for December 22, 2007 at the University of Ghana, Legon.

Asked what he would do should NEC uphold the vetting committee's decision, he said, he would assemble his team of legal advisors and consult with his elders before he would be able to determine his next line of action.