You are here: HomeNews2012 09 25Article 251313

General News of Tuesday, 25 September 2012

Source: Al-Hajj

NPP Accuses Media Of Bribe-Taking

Unstoppable John ‘Magnetic’ Mahama’s Soaring Attractiveness

As desperate Nana Akufo Addo and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) 2012 campaign reels under the towering weight of the newest political sensation on the block, John Ahobrasehene Mahama, some unnamed senior journalists are being accused of bribe-taking.

An NPP pseudo civil advocacy group, Centre for National Affairs (CNA) is claiming 10 senior journalists in the country have been compromised in kind and in cash by the ruling National Democratic (NDC).

A report by the pro-NPP Daily Guide last week quoted a supposed senior policy analyst at the CNA, one Rocky R.E. Obeng (who not long ago was exposed on facebook) as saying the NDC has bribed about 10 senior journalists with cash and properties worth an average of GHC 500, 000 per person.

According to the report Mr. Rocky R.E. Obeng said his organization has identified these journalists and has offered them the option of either publicly announcing their support for the NDC or exiting the profession.

He indicated that if they failed to comply with this suggestion, the CNA would go public with the evidence in its possession. The NPP group’s main reason for reaching such a conclusion was that, these journalists, who also doubled as regular guests on radio and television, and who were initially intensely critical of the NDC government, particularly under the late president Atta Mills, suddenly lost their voices with the swearing-in of John Mahama as president.

The Al-Hajj in a report in our edition No. 73 of August 21 2012 with headline; ‘Ahobrasihene’ Prez John Mahama’s First Magic… ‘OLU’ AKUFO ADDO MAD AT COFFEE SHOP MAFIA …As they root for John Mahama Presidency, reported of plans to ‘expose’ some journalist as ‘charlatans’ in the coming days”,

In the report, we stated that allegations of misconduct and impropriety from faceless people on the part of senior journalists, particularly, some members of the Coffee Shop Mafia, especially, Mr. Randy Abbey, Kweku Baako and Mr. Alfred Ogbamey will be planted in a number of media houses including some papers sympathetic to the NDC.

According to the report, Intelligence picked-up by your authoritative and reliable Al-Hajj indicated that the members of the campaign team of NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo Addo are awfully incensed with some journalists for their alleged sudden switch of loyalty to president John Dramani Mahama and the NDC. A senior member of Akufo Addo’s 2012 campaign team who wants to remain anonymous, speaking with the editor of this paper on phone expressed disquiet “over the behavior of some journalists who have suddenly recognize that John Mahama is good man and a better candidate going into the December polls”. According to the Akufo Addo’s man “These people indeed have no conscience and Ghanaians are no fools, if they think Ghanaians would be swayed by their sweet talk about John Mahama…., since when did it dawn on them and all of a sudden, they are trumpeting John as the best thing to ever happen to Ghana”? The NPP campaign team member queried.

The NPP backed CNA had earlier in a press statement on Thursday, 13th September 2012 and signed by the same Mr. Obeng stated:

“CNA has observed of late that respected senior journalists, who were once known for their objectivity and critical analysis, have suddenly seen nothing important about being critical of persons in government and the presidency… “Our media research team is amazed at the findings where some of these respected journalists have metamorphosed into public relations officers for the presidency, if not the ruling party”.