Mahama boys seize Odike’s car

Presidential candidate of the United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai aka ‘Odike’, was yesterday subjected to public humiliation when his Toyota Hilux Pick-up vehicle was seized by known President John Mahama boys in Kumasi.

Appiah Stadium, known in political circles as ‘the President’s Son’, and Francis Dodovi, an outspoken NDC parliamentary aspirant at Suame in Kumasi, snatched the vehicle, registered GM 4718-12, at the Golden Tulip around 3pm.

The two NDC members alleged that Odike, in 2012, whilst he was the presidential candidate of United Front Party (UFP), made a request for the cars from President Mahama, with a firm assurance that he would openly support the NDC to win the polls.

Appiah Stadium and Dodovi argued that Odike, after taking delivery of two Pick-up vehicles and an undisclosed amount of money, failed to campaign for the NDC as promised; hence their decision to take the vehicle from him.

They stated that the vehicle, which was towed from the Golden Tulip to the Central Police Station in Kumasi, would be given back to Ibrahim Mahama, a brother of President Mahama, who gave it to Odike in 2012.

The action of the NDC boys was necessitated by Odike’s recent attacks on the Mahama administration for its poor handling of the economy.

His party, UPP, recently joined the chorus for a new voters’ register against the NDC’s position.

Odike was said to be cooling off at the Lounge Bar of the Golden Tulip when the two angry-looking NDC men approached him and demanded the car’s ignition key, but the UPP founder and leader refused to yield to their unexpected demand.

After it became clear that Odike was not ready to surrender the car key, Appiah Stadium and Dodovi reportedly engaged the services of a towing vehicle which towed the Pick-up van to the Central Police Station.

Confirming the incident to DAILY GUIDE, Appiah Stadium claimed that he led Odike to President Mahama prior to the 2012 elections, where he (Odike) begged for support from the President.

According to him, Odike, at that time, assured the President that if the vehicle was given to him, he would campaign massively to help the NDC get more votes in order to hang onto political power and steer the affairs of the state.

Appiah Stadium claimed that President Mahama ordered them to go to his brother, Ibrahim Mahama, at the Gold House in Accra, who handed the two brand new Toyota Hilux Pick-up vans to Odike to begin working for the NDC.

According to him, the presidency also ordered several affluent people to support Odike’s campaign with cash, adding that the UPP leader was also made to import his goods into the country free of import duties.

Appiah Stadium observed that Odike, after benefitting hugely from the NDC administration, shockingly refused to fulfil his promise to President Mahama and the NDC administration.

According to him, Odike after taking the cars in 2012 refused to campaign for President Mahama. “I watched him closely. He only started saying good things about President Mahama after he realised that the NDC had won the polls.”

He said what worried him most was Odike’s recent verbal attacks on President Mahama on radio stations in Kumasi, saying, “He recently lambasted President Mahama for lacking ideas to develop the country.”

Appiah Stadium stated that he had realised that Odike, after benefitting immensely from the NDC government, wanted to switch to the NPP ahead of the 2016 elections “and this is unfair on his part”.

He said if Odike now wanted to work for the NPP “then he should go to Nana Akufo-Addo to support him with vehicles. I will not allow him to cheat the NDC, which is why I am taking the cars back to its owner.”

Appiah Stadium said nobody ordered him to forcibly take the vehicle from Odike, explaining that “I led him to the presidency for the cars so his u-turn is making me feel embarrassed whenever I see the president.”

He said he wanted to hand the cars back to its owner, Ibrahim Mahama, who still had in his possession documents covering the vehicle, “just to clear my name. Odike thinks he is wise and I want to teach him a lesson.”

Appiah Stadium described the seizure of the vehicle as one of the best things he had done in his life, stressing, “I hate cheating and I will make sure the other car in his possession is seized as well.”

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of UPP, Razak Kojo Poku, said the NDC cannot force Odike to campaign for them in order to win the 2016 polls after they (NDC) have mismanaged the economy, saying, “Odike is now with UPP and not UFP.”

He suspected the presidency ordered Appiah Stadium and Dodovi to seize the vehicle, indicating that such moves by the NDC administration could not deter the UPP from lambasting the government for collapsing the Ghanaian economy.

Kojo Poku vowed that his political party would continue to attack the NDC administration from all angles, noting that the UPP had experienced men to manage the economy better than the NDC was currently doing.