Veep "shocked at untruths" in Statesman story

Accra, April 16, GNA - The Office of the Vice-President on Thursday denied newspaper publications that the President and Vice President had been travelling in long convoys of vehicles and asked journalists to cross-check their facts before publishing them to avoid scurrilous reports about public officials.

A statement signed by Mr Mawuko Zormelo, Media Coordinator, Office of the Vice President, said Vice President John Dramani Mahama was shocked at the untruths contained in a story published by the Statesman with the headline "NDC's weekend of car shows" that made the allegations.

Giving details about the itinerary of Vice President Mahama last weekend, the statement said on Saturday, April 11 the Vice President attended a charity event organized by the Joyce Tamakloe Memorial Foundation on Cancer to raise awareness and funds for the Urology Department of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

It said the Vice President attended the event in a convoy of two vehicles and not in a long convoy as the Statesman publication sought to portray to the public.

It said the cars at the venue of the event belonged to the invitees and would-be donors, most of whom were expatriates.

"If the Statesman reporter was attentive at the event, he would have learnt that the Charity event had been organized in collaboration with the Mahama family and that H.E. the Vice President was present to lend his support to this noble and worthy cause.

"Indeed, the Mahama family has been organizing this cancer fund-raising event for the past three years."

The statement said on Sunday, April 12, Vice President Mahama travelled from Accra to Wa by air and from Wa to Bole by road to attend this year's Congress of the Gonjaland Youth Association. "H.E. the Vice-President's convoy was made up of three four-wheel drive Land Cruiser vehicles. Although party executives and friends from the Gonjaland Youth Association were in Wa to accompany him to Bole in their party and private vehicles, the Vice President insisted that these vehicles preceded him to Bole and his wishes were obeyed." The statement also commented on an alleged up travel of President John Evans Atta Mills to the Eastern Region, and stressed that there was nothing like that.

"The office of the Vice President wishes to assure all Ghanaians that the leadership of the NDC is very conscious of the Party's campaign promise to lead an austere government and has, since its assumption of office, lived by that promise. In this regard, neither the President nor the Vice-President drives in long convoys."

It said the President and Vice President would wish "to caution media houses to always cross-check their facts before publishing to avoid such scurrilous reports about public officials and to endeavour to uphold the integrity of the noble profession of journalism". Speaking at a press conference at the Castle on Tuesday, President Mills also referred to the story and said he did not travel to the Eastern Region as alleged by the newspaper.