Former flagbearer-aspirant of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo has said a secretly recorded audio tape on which a voice resembling his, allegedly fanned ethnocentric bigotry, was leaked for monetary gains.

Mr Osafo-Maafo told Oman FM’s Fifi Boafo in an interview on Tuesday February 24, 2015 that he strongly believes the person who leaked the tape is a member of the party, who was driven by monetary motives.

“There may be two reasons for anyone to secretly record me: one is to sell the tape for money and two, to mess me up…but of the two, I strongly suspect the monetary profit was the stronger motive,” he said, adding: “This shows how politics in Ghana is strongly coloured by money.”

A tape, which contains a male voice resembling Osafo-Maafo’s was recently unearthed, and is heard telling a gathering at Koforidua that: “…You have all the resources, but you have no say in the management of your resources, and that is what is happening. Your development depends on the one who has no resources.”

“You can’t say this openly,” he cautioned the Council members of the party’s Eastern regional branch when he met them, but added that they are at liberty to talk about it among Asantes.

“We should protect ourselves, we should protect our income. No one, who is the source of income, the source of revenue, the source of resources; allows another person without those resources the chance [to rule over them].

“It’s never done anywhere in the world. In the world over, it is the group with the most resources that rules and not the other way around,” the voice said.

In the estimation of the voice, “86.5 per cent of resources in Ghana come from five regions: Brong Ahafo, Ashanti, Eastern, Western and Central. This is where 86 percent of the resources of Ghana come from… And the oil was also discovered in the West. It will change the formula to about 90 per cent. We cannot ignore these five regions. We should not,” the voice added.

Though Mr Osafo-Maafo admits he spoke at such a function, he denies fanning tribalism. According to him, his detractors, whom he accuses of “mischievously” piecing his voice together for “propaganda” purposes, are just up to no good.

However, the Eastern regional branch of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) insists the party has proof to prove Osafo-Maafo wrong.

In a statement issued Monday, the regional branch said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we wish to state the following facts: 1. The meeting was held on 29th January, 2015 at Oyinka Hotel at Effiduase, Koforidua. 2. It was a Regional Council of Elders meeting. 3. The following people were present at the meeting: Yaw Osafo Maafo (Chairman of the Regional Council of Elders), Kiston Akuming Kissi (Regional Chairman), Alhaji Umar Bodinga (1st Regional Vice Chairman), Prince Aboagye (Regional Secretary), Nana Yaw Papin (Assistant Regional Secretary), Alecs Agobo (Former Regional Secretary) and expected two representatives from each of the 33 constituencies in the Region among others. 4. Prince Aboagye, the NPP Regional Secretary was the MC for the meeting. 5. It was a meeting to discuss the role the Council members will be playing from now till election 2016 as well as strategies to be adopted by the NPP going into election 2016 with Nana Addo as their Flag bearer.”

The statement queries further: “Can Osafo-Maafo tell Ghanaians which part of the logically coherent tape was doctored? What were his original message that has been doctored? Why have they sent a high powered investigators to come to the region "to chase shadows"? We wish to state that the full tape is a little over an hour which we can release for scrutiny together with tapes of other meetings held at Mac Dic Royal Hotel at Koforidua where other NPP bigwigs made equally damning comments and even worse revelations. It is unimaginable that Osafo-Maafo sought to lead this country as President with such cowardice. He should be brave and accept responsibility and humbly apologise than to hide behind the capacity of technology to deny.”

“As a democratic party, NDC totally abhors politics premised on ethnocentric incitements and will on any day condemn such an unconstitutional act. We add our voice to call on all Citizens to condemn and reject any attempt by anyone to pursue an Independent Akan State Agenda, now or in the future,” the statement added.