Kofi Wayo fires back at Kufuor

Founder and Leader of the United Renaissance Party (URP), “Chuck” Kofi Wayo says he is not surprised that Former President has denied he ever said Nana Addo is "dangerous" at a private meeting prior to the 2000 elections.

The maverick politician told Tema-based Adom FM on Thursday, whiles commenting on the recent cannabis and cocaine busts at the Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom, that in 2000, when he was still a member of the NPP, he held a meeting with Mr. Kufuor in his (Wayo’s) house where the former president told him how dangerous Nana Akufo-Addo is to the politics of Ghana.

But the former President, in a strongly worded statement, denied “having any such meeting with Mr. Wayo at anytime anywhere.”

The statement from Kufuor’s office, which was signed by Frank Agyekum, his Spokesperson, said the purported meeting and assertions attributed to the former president are “a figment of the imagination of Mr. Wayo and his likes aimed at poisoning the very cordial relations between Former President and Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo –Addo.”

"Former President Kufuor assures of his commitment to the success of Nana Addo and the NPP in next December’s elections and will work hard to ensure this. The Former President urges all to ignore such falsehoods aimed at sowing seeds of confusion in the NPP and distracting the Party from its forward march to ‘victory 2012," the statement said.

But in a sharp riposte, the outspoken URP leader, in an interview on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia morning show, labeled Mr Kufuor, a “graduated liar” and dared him to avail himself to a lie-detector test to prove his (Wayo’s) assertions wrong.

He also questioned the locus of Mr Frank Agyekum to respond to the accusations he leveled against the former president.

“So if this guy (Kufuor) would never admit anything…see, he is a graduated liar because our culture is based on deception and lies…and I am not surprised that Kufuor would say he hasn’t met with me…this Frank Agyekum guy, I know him…he once gave me a ride from a Tema radio station to Accra and he just lied. He is just there for his stomach…he don’t know anything and was he there when we met? If Kufuor goes to court, would Frank Agyekum speak for him? A spokesperson is supposed to lie anyway isn’t it?” Mr. Wayo asked.

The one-time oil magnate, who claimed he had a video recording of that day’s events to back his claim, disclosed that he needs to contact some officials before the video tapes can be released to him. He, however, disclosed that most NPP members know how dangerous Nana Akufo-Addo is to the politics of Ghana, yet because of what they stand to gain personally, are unwilling to voice out the truth.

“The NPP people, a lot of them told me that this guy (Nana Addo) is not correct and now because they want to make money are supporting him…just look at the people who surround him,” he said.