The Progressive Democrats, a pro-NDC group, is calling for the immediate dismissal of Mr. Franklin Cudjoe as Executive Director of IMANI-Ghana, for his “irresponsible and ill-conceived” attacks on President John Mahama.

The group in a statement said Mr. Cudjoe’s “unhealthy penchant for spewing vitriolic attacks and his reprehensible verbal diarrhea against people who disagree with him” does not represent the neutrality of the policy Think Tank and brings the name of IMANI-Ghana into disrepute.

“We are highly scandalized that such harsh words will be used by someone who leads an advocacy think tank like IMANI-Ghana who is perceived to be neutral in their operations,” the statement said.

The group according to the statement is “calling on IMANI-Ghana to dismiss Mr. Franklin Cudjoe with immediate effect as their Executive Director or have the group disbanded based on our subsequent action that we are going take if they refuse to heed to our calls”.

Read the full statement below

The Progressive Democrats have noted with grave disappointment the gross misconduct and disrespect that has characterized the Executive Director of IMANI- Ghana, Mr Franklin Cudjoe, in his recent socio-political undertakings.

In fact, last Friday 8th November,2013 we were left with a dropped jaw having heard in the media, precisely Asempa fm, an Accra based radio station, a banter between Mr Franklin Cudjoe and MP for Ahafo Ano North, Hon. Kwesi Adusei, purporting Mr Franklin Cudjoe describing the President of the Republic of Ghana as ‘the most useless president ever known” in a barbering salon he visited not noting the presence of the Hon. MP.

We are highly scandalized that such harsh words will be used by someone who leads an advocacy think tank like IMANI-Ghana who is perceived to be neutral in their operations.

We are however not surprised about the misconduct of Mr. Franklin Cudjoe. This is a man who over the period has harbored an unhealthy penchant for spewing vitriolic attacks and his reprehensible verbal diarrhea against people who disagree with him.

Indeed, Mr. Cudjoe is on record to have described the current deputy Information minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, as an “advanced boot licker and a mere useful idiot” in August 2011 on his facebook social media page. Even though he was forced to eat the humble pie by apologizing, he stated that he was apologizing to members of the public for whom he has so much respect and not necessarily Felix Kwakye.

Mr. Franklin Cudjoe is also on record to have described the NDC party as senseless with his facebook post ‘folks let me be frank with you that the NPP is a more sensible party when it comes to dealing with dissent, at least intellectual dissent’ in November,2012.

Mr. Alhaji Bature, Chief Editor was not spared Franklin Cudjoe’s attacks either. He described him as “block headed who should go and drink “koko” if he can’t appreciate the issues” on an Accra based radio station Adom fm. His comments really infuriated the NDC representative, Alhaji Halidu Haruna, on the platform who chastised him (Franklin Cudjoe) for his outburst.

Indeed this plethora of examples of reprehensible effusions from the Executive Director of IMANI leaves us without a scintilla of doubt that he indeed insulted the president and his fervent denial must be treated with all the contempt it deserves.

The Progressive Democrats in this vein condemns the attack on the President and describes his comments as highly “irresponsible and ill-conceived.

We are also calling on IMANI-Ghana to dismiss Mr. Franklin Cudjoe with immediate effect as their Executive Director or have the group disbanded based on our subsequent action that we are going take if they refuse to heed to our calls.

We are also calling on all Civil Society groups, the media and all religious groupings to join us condemn these despicable and atrocious acts against the number one gentleman of this country.

Long Live Progressive Democrats Long Live Ghana

Stephen Sackey- Communications Director

Nii Ayi Anteh- General Secretary

Abdulai A. Waris- Research Director