The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) sent three invitation letters to the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Minority in Parliament for its recently-held National Delegates’ Conference in Koforidua, Eastern Region, but they failed to show up, John Boadu, newly-elected General Secretary of the NPP, has said.

According to him, the letters were sent very early to enable the NDC prepare adequately for the event. Also, he said the recipient of the letters signed to acknowledge receipt of the invites.

Mr Boadu’s comment follows claims by the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, that he personally told Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, when the two of them met at the one-week memorial service of late Vice-President Kwesi Amissah-Arthur at the Ridge Church in Accra on Friday, 6 July 2018, that the main opposition party would not be able to honour the invitation.

There were representatives of other opposition parties who shared goodwill messages at Saturday’s event, except for the NDC.

Explaining the absence of the NDC, Mr Nketia told Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Accra 100.5FM on Monday, 9 July that the party got the invitation very late.

According to Mr Nketia, after several failed attempts to reach then-acting General Secretary, John Boadu, who was elected substantive General Secretary at the conference, he personally conveyed the party’s inability to honour the invitation, to Dr Bawumia at the one-week memorial service for the late Amissah-Arthur.



“We have always been present at NPP functions over the years but this time the invitation didn’t come early,” he said.

He continued: “I had difficulty in accessing John Boadu on phone, he didn’t pick the calls. I also don’t have Freddie Blay’s contact and also the Eastern Regional Chairman of the NDC is sick, so, he couldn’t attend.



“So, when the Vice President came to the funeral ceremony, I personally gave him the message that we can’t attend the event.”

Responding to these claims on the same show, Mr Boadu said: “We sent them letters and they signed confirming receipt but they failed to show up.

“Three invitation letters were sent out to them and also to the Minority but they didn’t come, yet they also didn’t even give any reason for not coming. We gave them advanced notice of the event”, Mr Boadu stressed.