General News of Thursday, 1 March 2018

Source: peacefmonline.com

Obiri Boahen apologises over GHC50 billion claim

Obiri Boahen is deputy General Secretary of NPP Obiri Boahen is deputy General Secretary of NPP

Embattled Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen, has apologized profusely to the governing party for the damning revelations attributed to him in a leaked audio that went viral this week.

According to him, though the comments he passed on the leaked audio were fabricated, he knows some people will be hurt by his utterances, especially so because he is National Executive member of the party.

Speaking on OkayFm's "Ade Akye Abia" programme, he pointed out that he is ever ready to face the Steering Committee of the party and share his side of the story.

"I know some people are excited, even jubilating about my predicament but they should not forget that it can happen to anyone, irrespective of that, am ready to face the Steering Committee.....," he stated.

He added that he is not ready to take any legal action against anyone, but believes the law of karma will take care of whoever masterminded the act and subsequently leaked the audio.

"...i am not going to sue...But let me take this opportunity to apologise to every one in the party and all those who are hurt by utterances," he reiterated.

Dragged Before Steering Committee

The New Patriotic Party (NPP), on Tuesday, dragged Nana Obiri Boahen before the party's Steering Committee following damning revelations of a leaked audio conversation between the leading member and an activist of the opposition party, Kwaku Skirt, which went viral on Tuesday; even though the governing party considered the contents as "baseless" and "palpable" falsehoods.

In the leaked audio, the Deputy NPP General Secretary is clearly heard saying the Presidency gifted the party GH¢50 billion in support of the conduct of the party's 2017 National Annual Delegates Conference held at Cape Coast last August.

The governing party, in response, issued a press statement signed by the Acting General Secretary, John Boadu, insisting "no such thing happened and that, the claims are a palpable falsehood".

No Office, Car & Monthly Salary?

Nana Obiri Boahen, in that recorded conversation, lamented how unfairly he was being treated as an official of the governing party, while his colleagues are supposedly grabbing and making economic gains from the party’s incumbency.

“Till date I don’t even have an office at the party’s headquarters. To be frank, i have been using my own private car, and the party has not given me any official car for my use as Deputy General Secretary.

I buy my own fuel. And even on official trips abroad, I’ll be left to my fate. When I recently went to Germany, it was an NPP Member who bought ticket for me. I went to Spain, Dortmund it was an individual that processed my trip. I do virtually everything, and I don’t remember the last time I received a monthly salary from the party.

I’m only watching them; what is happening now is called “grabbing grabbing” that is what they are doing. I have not even been contacted by any Minister for any contract or whatsoever.

I have been handling late J.B Danquah Adu’s case from day one, and I have been using my own resources for court, and even give tips for Journalists. Nobody cares about that case.

I have been following up the case and I can tell you i have an impending trip abroad and I even had to rescheduled my flight to make it to court on 21st, March in J.B’s case. I’ll have to pay the penalty for rescheduling that flight, and I’ll have to bear that cost alone,” he narrated to the NDC activist.