General News of Saturday, 2 November 2013

Source: peacefmonline

Jake should let the bungalow go – Ade Coker

In preparations by government to officially hand over the keys of a state bungalow, number 2 Mungo Street property at Ridge in Accra, to Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Greater Accra regional chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has advised Jake to end the cacophony surrounding the bungalow.

Joseph Ade Coker is of the view that, the acquisition of the state bungalow by the NPP chairman was wrong though the court decision must be accepted.

The No.2 Mungo Street state bungalow at Ridge in Accra was the subject of a legal tussle after two NDC members, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah and Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, challenged the sale of the bungalow.

The two, now Communications and Deputy Education Minister respectively dragged the NPP chairman to court, accusing him of conflict of interest, corruption and abuse of office.

But the Supreme Court dismissed the case on the grounds that the plaintiffs failed to prove their allegations of abuse of office, corruption and conflict of interest against the respondent.

An Accra High Court, earlier ordered government to hand over the keys of the bungalow to Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey by the end of November, following the filing of an application demanding possession of the property.

Though some NDC foot soldiers have demonstrated against the release of the bungalow to the NPP leader, Mr. Ade Coker, however, appealed to Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey to “rethink” his decision of acquiring the state property.

“We should revisit this issue, and in my view, Jake should also rethink about this and let it go. He should let the government go and develop that place for the good of this country. If not then we are setting a bad precedent. If all government ministers want to acquire government bungalows they are lodging in now, what stops them from that? What are we doing to ourselves? He quizzed on Adom FM.