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General News of Tuesday, 22 September 2009

Source: jfm

PC Ofori To Quit

I'm quiting, I can't fight corruption alone - PC Appiah Ofori

The Member of Parliament for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa, P.C. Appiah Ofori says he will not contest his seat again in protest of the persistent corruption in the country.

He said his aim of going into politics was to fight corruption, but the menace appears to be painfully enduring in all regimes.

Speaking to Joy FM’s Super Morning Show host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah, Mr Appiah Ofori said people in positions of authority across the political divide continue to gleefully abuse their office and steal from the national purse.

And that since the situation does not show any signs of abeyance, he has chosen to abandon the fight having been frustrated.

He however emphasized that if by the end of his tenure in 2012, there is a shift towards a greater commitment to fighting corruption, he might change his mind.

The outspoken critic has gained notoriety for fighting corruption incurring the wrath of his party in some instances.

He has leveled serious allegations of graft against his colleagues NPP MPs, and has had to be hauled before the disciplinary committee of the party to substantiate his allegations.

It has even been suggested that his party has planned not to support his 2012 bid for the seat, and that that has influenced his decision to chicken out.

But Mr Appiah Ofori has rejected the suggestion, saying “it is only God that can prevent me from winning that seat.”

He claimed in the last primary, some party gurus paid delegates to vote against him but that failed, emphasizing that if he contests that seat any day, any time, he will “win hundred per cent.”

He also denied anointing someone for the seat because “I have no power to make someone a parliamentary candidate. It is only members of the party who can choose who should be their parliamentary candidate.”

He however admitted proposing one Nkrumah, who he thought was capable of truly representing the people of the constituency after he has exited.