Veteran Journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has revealed that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Director of Finance and Administration, received a crucial letter from the Electoral Commission (EC) requesting the party to make certain documents including the Togo register available to it for investigation, but failed to notify other party executives about it.
According to him, his checks at the EC indicate that the said letter which was dated 19th October was received same day by the NPP official, but he claims because his life was being threatened he had to leave the party’s headquarters without informing his colleagues about the letter.
The General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyepong on Friday during the two-day public forum on the voters register, expressed surprise when the Chairperson of the EC, Mrs Charlotte Osei told the party that the commission had written a letter over a fortnight ago requesting from the NPP, further and better particulars which backs the party’s claim that nearly 80,000 Togolese were registered in the Ghana register.
Mr Kwabena Agyepong indicated that the party was not aware that the said letter had long been sent to the party until quite recently.
However speaking on Joy FM’s News analysis show on Saturday, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako who is also the Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper stated that the party’s Director of Finance and Administration’s conduct was completely needless, a move he said caused a low point in the NPP’s delivery at the forum.
He was nonetheless quick to add that it doesn’t constitute a fatal injury to the NPP’s cause in relation to establishing the fact that Togolese nationals are indeed on the Ghana register, adding that the party still has some time to produce the document.
“The Director of Finance and Administration received the letter and sat on it. He is giving two stories that he was thinking of making photocopies for everybody as well as deliver it to the Bawumia team. Another version is that at the time he received it someone was threatening his life so he had to leave the vicinity. Apparently he read it and that is how he got to know that the party had to bring this or that documents. His action was completely needless; this is a reflection of the state of the party’s administration.
“Otherwise an important letter of that nature, an officer of the party takes it and is unable to bring it to the attention of the other executive, let me be honest I believe the General Secretary was not aware of the letter, the whole thing is linked to the current division and confusion in the party.
"When the EC Chairperson made the disclosure about the letter, it took something away from the NPP’s case; it was as if the party was not prepared enough, indeed the party as a corporate entity was not aware of such an important letter that would have made the party prepare adequately to attend the forum.”