You are here: HomeNews2013 08 20Article 283043

General News of Tuesday, 20 August 2013

Source: Joy Online

Ayikoi Otoo may be seen as a tin god if… - Nana Akomea

Director of Communications of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Nana Akomea has denied claims that former Attorney General, Nii Ayikoi-Otoo was prevented from joining the party's legal team that is prosecuting an election petition before the Supreme Court.

He said Ayikoi Otoo as an astute lawyer and chairman of the party’s constitutional committee will not be substituted for anything.

Nana Akomea was reacting to an allegation by Dr. Nyaho Tamakloe that lawyer Ayikoi Otoo was disallowed from joining the legal team in court.

Lawyer Otoo has also said the NPP failed to consult him in taking key legal decisions, including the drafting of a guideline for party communicators on how to avoid contempt.

The former A-G noted that as chairman of the NPP constitutional committee, the NPP has not made use of his expertise "the way I would have expected them to do".

But on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Monday, Nana Akomea opined that expressing sentiments publicly is not the solution to the problem.

According to him, if lawyer Ayikoi Otoo’s does not control his incessant call on the party to consult him on every legal matter, "he will be giving the perception that he is a tin god".

Nana Akomea stated that lawyer Ayikoi Otoo in his quest to set records straight is rather painting a gloomy picture of the whole situation.

He maintained that assuming without admitting that the NPP does not consult him, nothing stops Ayikoi Otoo from finding out reasons from the party leadership.

"I will be very surprised if NPP will sideline Ayikoi Otoo, but if he does take time he will be given too much ego," he stressed.

Citing himself as an example, Nana Akomea said as Director of Communications, sometimes decisions are taken by his subordinates without his consent but he does not make a fuss about it.

The NPP man noted that several lawyers in the NPP as good as Ayikoi Otoo are not part of the legal team handling the Presidential Election Petition thus the former A-G case is nothing out of the ordinary.

Nana Akomea said for lawyer Ayikoi Otoo to defend the party’s General Secretary who is the chief executive of NPP shows his [Otoo] worth.