Silence of Communication Team is Loud and Suspicious –NDC Youth for Action

January 5, 2012 (International Conference Center) Our deepest appreciation goes to the media and the general public for positively responding to our invitation despite the relatively short notification.

We, the people of the Volta Region have observed with deep pain the unprovoked media attacks, deliberately orchestrated by the Nana Akuffo Addo led NPP and their surrogates in the NDC to vilify a patriotic son of the Volta Region, Mr Alfred Agbesi Woyome. Indeed the silence of the Okudzeto led Information Ministry is too loud and suspicious.

The ruling of 6th September, 2010 by His Lordship I. O Tanko Amadu of the Commercial Court division of the High Court, in which he ordered the state to pay Twenty Two Million Euros ((€22m) to Mr. Alfred Woyome for his role in engineering finances during preparation for the CAN 2008 African CUP of Nation tournament has been the excuse for this media hate campaign.

It remains strange why intellectuals will not use appellate processes of the court system, to resolve their disagreement over a court verdict but regrettably resort to the use of the media to attack the reputation of lawful citizens who have decided to use lawful procedure to resolve their grievances. Regrettably Mr. Kwadwo Mpianim and Joseph Ghartey, who are former Chief of Staff and Attorney General respectively under the NPP regime and should know better, are the guiltiest in this regard.

What is worse, the NPP has openly protested against calls by the President to use a lawful state organ, the EOCO to investigate whose actions have led the state to lose these huge sums of money.

Strangely, Mr Woyome who the NPP must render an unqualified apology to for being one of the many candidates for victimization during the NPP rule, reason for which he sought and was granted justice by the court, is now the man who is being openly lambasted by the NPP, same people who wronged him.

What is positive however is the President’s position not to victimize the beneficiaries of the court action. What is dangerous however is why Okudzeto Ablakwah has refused to use the government information machinery to defend the President’s stance, same way as he is doing in this rather war of words with an NGO that has merely expressed its opinion on a certain loan being procured by Government. We don’t want to believe he is working with the NPP in this regard.

We wish to make the following observations; • Why has the NPP refused to debate this issue on the merit of it? Why have they not resorted to the appellate processes of the court for reversal of the earlier judgment of the court processes if they disagree with it? Why have they publicly registered their unpreparedness to cooperate with the EOCO? Why the insults and media attack over an issue which is purely a legal matter? It simple means if this issue is lawfully discussed there will be only one conclusion. That the recklessness of Nana Akufo Addo’s NPP has caused the state to part with over hundred Million Ghana Cedis as Judgment debt to Waterville and its partners. Hence the need to trial and jail them for causing financial lost to the state, same way as they did to Tsatsu and others. • Why will Kufour abrogate a statutory contract which has been duly awarded by the Central Tender Review board to Mr Woyome and partners, Waterville, only to give it to a company that neither qualify nor bided for it? Kufour realized too late that Woyome was NDC but more than that he was a Voltarian, who when helped will not only use the money to build the capacity of the NDC but also build the capacity of Voltarians. Indeed it was this fear which characterized the many NDC members who lost their jobs and others had their businesses destroyed during the NPP era. • In fact the ongoing debate by the NPP has nothing to do with Ghana losing money that could be used for development, it is about what political mileage that money can bring to the NDC and also develop the Volta region.

In conclusion; • We the people of the Volta region pay glowing tribute to Mr Alfred Woyome for being a successful business man and a politician who have time without number made our region proud both at the national and the international scene. It is our hope that he will continue to take care of the poor and help the needy in the region. • We call on the leadership of the NPP to offer an unqualified apology to Mr Alfred Woyome for victimizing him and his business partners during the NPP 8YEARS RULE. • We call on the NPP to immediately suspend Nana Akuffo Addo as the NPP presidential candidate for being part of the Kufour cabinet that illegally terminated a lawful contract. Indeed it is as a result of this action which the state has been called upon by the courts to pay these huge sums of money as judgment debt. • We the people of the Volta region further pledge our unflinching support to defend and stand by Mr Woyome. We are prepared to defend him with every blood in us. We are not deterred by the deliberate ploy by the NPP to make a purely legal issue political. We are ready for them. • Again we call on Mr. Samuel Okudzeto to offer a public apology to the President for embarrassing him publicly. It is strange Okudzeto claims to be loyal to the President yet refuse to allow the Government communication team to openly defend the stance of the President. Why does he not want Woyome who has won a court judgment to be defended publicly? Whose interest is Okudzeto serving, NPP or the president and the NDC?

AGBE MAWUNYO SIGNED (CONVEYER) Contacts: • 0243438580 • 0207400825