Rejoinder to Enquirer Story On Akufo-Addo's Trip

The attention of the Nana Akufo-Addo campaign team has been drawn to a publication by the ENQUIRER newspaper of Friday 6th June 2008 with regard to the 2008 NPP Presidential Candidate's North American tour.

The paper claims among other things that:

the Embassy of Ghana in Washington put its official vehicles at the disposal of Messrs Kofi Konadu Apraku, Alan Kyerematen, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, Arthur Kennedy and Nana Ohene Ntow, the General Secretary of the party. at a luncheon organised by the Whitaker group, its founder, Mrs Rosa Duncan-Williams specifically asked for financial support for the campaign of Nana Akufo-Addo.

We wish to state that both of these claims are false. With regard to the use of the embassy vehicles, we wish to make it clear that Ghana's missions always consider it a duty to provide courtesies to all visiting Members of Parliament who notify the missions of their visit to the United States of America.

These same courtesies were extended to Hon Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abirem and Presidential Candidate of the Convention People's Party (CPP) three weeks ago during his visit to the United States. It is important to state that Hon Yaw Osafo Maafo, Hon Dr. K.K. Apraku and Nana Akufo-Addo are sitting Members of Parliament.

Regarding the Whitaker Group event, no mention was made by either Nana Akufo-Addo or the organisers or any member of the delegation of finances for the campaign. Indeed the campaign is fully aware of the laws of Ghana regarding soliciting funds from non-Ghanaians for political purposes.

The group was made up of people with substantial investments in Ghana and also of others who have an interest in investing in Ghana. The meeting was therefore to afford Nana Akufo-Addo the opportunity to explain his vision of transforming the Ghanaian economy and creating a modern society. That was just what happened at the meeting.

We take this opportunity once again to appeal to journalists to endeavour to cross-check their facts before publishing them. False allegations would not help the course of our democracy. Giving publicity to false allegations works against the moral duty of responsible journalists to help the electorate make an informed choice in the December elections.

We count on your sense of duty to render this rejoinder and clarification the kind of prominence offered to the original story, which carried the headline: AKUFO-ADDO BUSTED IN AMERICA.

God bless Ghana.