NPP Presidential Primaries: No delegate can say I gave them a pesewa - Dr. Afriyie Akoto

Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, who was one of the aspirants in the flagbearership race of the New Patriotic Party, has denied offering money to delegates with the aim of influencing them to vote for him.

According to him, he relied solely on his message, and no delegate can say he [Dr. Afriyei Akoto] offered them money.

Before and during the presidential primaries on November 4, 2023, there were allegations and counter-allegations of vote-buying and inducement from some of the camps of the aspirants.

Dr. Owusu Akoto, explaining why he didn't offer any such inducements to the delegates to influence them, noted that his decision is a matter of principle.

“As a matter of principle, no delegate can say that I gave a pesewa, and this is a matter of principle. For me, it's the message that delegates should look at and compare ideas to see which ones suit us best, but trying to influence that decision by the inducement of money is not my cup of tea.

“So, I didn't offer anybody any inducement; I just relied on the power of my message. I don't know the extent to which that was not carried out because of my lack of inducement,” he said.

Dr. Afriyie Akoto further highlighted the urgent necessity of implementing reforms within the party structure, aiming to strengthen its foundation.

Additionally, he stressed the significance of sparing public resources to enhance the agricultural sector and the economy.

This, he believes, will ensure self-reliance rather than extensive reliance on external debt.

“But definitely, I am very solid in my belief that there is an urgent need to bring reforms into our party to make it strong.

“Secondly, I believe that for the nation, we need to spare public resources to help farmers to make this economy very strong and finance it from our own resources rather than relying on debt, which has been the case. These are things that I have observed over years, and I'm not the person who observes things going wrong and just sits back; I am a doer, so whatever contribution I can make for these two issues of party discipline, party reforms, and bringing some significant public resources to farmers in agriculture to make this better, I will pursue them,” he added.

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