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General News of Friday, 28 May 2010

Source: The Herald

Akufo-Addo Campaign "Lie"

*NANA ADDO IN A DIRTY LIE*

· *8 years After Gabby’s “Why Mills Is A Poodle” Article*

· *As He Is Haunted By The Ghost Of His Own Newspaper’s Deeds *

By Larry-Alans Dogbey

Investigations by this paper has revealed that the Nana Akufo-Addo Campaign made a farce or indeed lied about his image on a poster purportedly designed by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Second Vice Chairman, Kwabena Nsenkyire in Kumasi, which raised tension in the country and almost resulted in an attack on a radio station.

This paper’s probe revealed that unlike the widely condemned “Why Mills Is A Poodle” article published On December 3, 2002 by the defunct *Statesman Newspaper*, coincidentally owned by Nana Akufo-Addo, and edited by his zealous cousin, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko, Nana Addo’s picture was not distorted as claimed by his campaign team.

Whereas Nana Addo’s *Statesman newspaper* chopped off the head of a Poodle, a member of the dog family and replaced it with the head of Prof. Mills, The Herald’s analysis of the picture revealed that the photograph that the NPP presidential aspirant is running from was not manipulated as Gabby Otchere-Darko did over seven years ago.

Nana Addo’s picture was taken at the swearing-in ceremony of then President Elect, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills at the Independence Square at Accra, on January 7, 2009, except that he did not pose for the camera.

Gabby, who now runs the NPP-affiliated Danquah Institute, had returned from London at the time with lots of fire in his head and simply took issues with Prof. Mills, denigrated and portrayed him as a dog just for calling for the resignation of the three men who led the NPP government’s team in negotiating the ill-famed ‘hair saloon’ $1billion IFC loan.

A careful study of the photograph perhaps represents the exact mood in which the failed presidential aspirant was at the time, having missed the presidency by whiskers, arriving at the venue of the ceremony spotting a neatly ironed ash-striped suit, a cream tie and a white shirt, with some well-built bodyguards behind him in the photograph.

He did not pose for the picture in dispute, unlike the one used for his 2008 presidential contest in which high quality cameras and state-of-the-art lights were placed on him and told to display a well-arranged face and an infectious smile exposing an envious white tooth which some say are artificial.

Many pictures might have been taken of Nana Addo during the ceremony, but it is only two which are in circulation and one of these was what the NPP vice chairman, Mr. Nsenkyire used for the posters for Nana Addo.

In both pictures, the candidate was on his feet and appears to be speaking to someone upon arrival at the Independent Square. In the background was a red-carpet which all the dignitaries had walked on to their seats to witness the swearing-in of now President Mills.

Additional findings by this paper revealed that there are many pictures of the aspirant in circulation, particularly on the Internet, and some of these best meet his own claim that he is “not so handsome.”

Nana Addo’s denial of the image has led to tension between followers of the NPP and the ruling National Democratic Congress in Kumasi, following the unfortunate description of President Mills as a chimpanzee by an NPP social commentator, Alexander Adu Gyamfi, 37-year-old French teacher who claimed he speaks for Nana Akufo-Addo*.** *

Kumasi Police, who effected his arrest, have set him free following an order from President Mills that he was not interested in the case because he wants to focus on his better Ghana agenda.