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Opinions of Saturday, 16 February 2008

Columnist: Mensa-Bonsu, Kofi Diawuo

Isaac Osei - An Opportunist Par Excellence

I was shell-shocked to read the pieces by Yaw Mensah on Ghanaweb last year and The Chronicle edition of Friday, January 25 2008 on the impending NPP Subin Primary elections in April. The mention and evaluation of Isaac Osei was most illuminating. I would have wished it had come at an earlier time to have properly positioned contestant Osei in the scheme of Subin NPP affairs.

Maybe some of us should have also written earlier to have enabled the delegates to sift the wheat from the chaff that is so much polluting the atmosphere. I have known Isaac Osei from his youth at Ashanti Newtown, as a student at Achimota, and as a work colleague in Koforidua. As such I feel that I am in a better position to advise the delegates of Subin about who Isaac Osei really is, his character and what he represents. It is for you delegates to then decide whether you would like to choose him as NPP’s running mate or your next MP.

CONCORDIA LEAKS

Isaac Osei is a snake in the grass within NPP. Whilst openly supporting one of the candidates and assiduously working against Candidate J.A. Kufour in 1996, he was also leaking vital sensitive information to anti-Kufuor agents in the media to humiliate Candidate Kufuor in the infamous Concordia affair. What a twist of fate, it was President Kufuor who appointed him as High Commissioner to the UK and now CEO of Cocobod. I have been told Kufuor is aware of his treachery but it is only a matter of time.

GHANA'S ENVOY TO THE UK

As Ghana's envoy to the UK, he truly demonstrated his true CPP credentials by praising Dr Kwame Nkrumah, Casely Hayford et al as more dynamic and forward-looking and denouncing Danquah, Busia et al as timid and bookish at any given opportunity. I have been told at his farewell party in June 2006 in London, Osei lavished praises on CPP heroes. I am reliably informed that he treated arguably the most single important overseas branch (NPP UK) with utter contempt and disdain. He preferred to deal with Ghana Union, an association believed to have NDC leanings. TENURE AS COCOBOD CEO

As CEO, Osei has wormed himself into the upper echelons of NPP but his disrespect towards members of the Cocobod board and complete disregard for party matters is once again evidenced in his dealings and decisions of the party. He has recruited Achimota schoolmates and cronies at Cocobod. I am told one of my classmates at Achimota School, Edem Amegashie is head of the UK's outfit. All the deals he has been cutting with hauliers, farmers and others to the detriment of our true party faithful are a testament of his contempt for anything NPP. He is a pretender who preaches NPP and practices CPP.

KYEREMATEN'S SUPPORT

Isaac Osei's closet support and statements for Kyerematen was an open secret in NPP. He hired a bus for delegates to attend the Congress and gave them 10 Gh Cedis for food. His agents told these delegates that Isaac Osei was out of town, but in fact he arrived on the 16th December 2007. He was at the Congress grounds and I saw him on TV. He was also behind Alan Kyerematen when he was being interviewed and it is all captured on TV. My sources at Cocobod told me some of the Kyerematen campaign funds came from his outfit and his agents in Subin claim he also personally contributed a whooping $300,000 towards Alan K's failed bid. You can only imagine the difference this could have made to NPP and Subin.

After kicking against The Statesman newspaper using his late father's residence for their offices and leaning on members of his family to deny Akufo-Addo the use of the outhouse of the same property as his Campaign Office, Osei the opportunist par excellence is using surrogates to "campaign" for him to be Akufo-Addo's running mate. Isaac Osei, where is your constituency? Isaac Osei, do you want to be Vice President, or do you want to be Subin MP?

CORRUPTING CONSTITUENCY EXECUTIVE

The Chairman, Organiser and the Youth Organiser of the Subin constituency are Isaac Osei's official campaign managers. They have organised his GH Cedis 2,000 New Year's eve delegates' party, distributed popular stand tickets for the quarter finals match between Egypt and Angola in Kumasi on the 4th February 2008. I am reliably informed that these executives have been given Cocobod contracts as well. I am telling these executives that Isaac Osei hails from the Western Region unless he is confused about his roots or he fears his CPP credentials would come back to haunt him, he should contest a seat in the Western Region.

CONCLUSION

Isaac Osei was born in Ashanti New Town to the late E.K. Osei from Sepe Timpom, Otumfuor's Nkosuohene and Mrs Eunice Osei nee Inkumsah, his mother who hails from Dixcove in the Western Region. Aha! we know the Inkumsahs as staunch CPPists. Osei organized a reception for all the Western Region delegates to the Jan 2007 Conference in Koforidua. He only stopped running for the NPP Flagbearership race because of Paapa Owusu Ankomah, whose mother also hails from Dixcove.

Isaac Osei’s "campaign" articles in about six dailies on Friday 1st February and the Graphic of Saturday 2nd February, all sourced from the GNA, provides telling evidence that he is using several surrogates to plant favourable articles to improve his chances. But to improve what chances at what? Has he not done rather well through the NPP? Isaac Osei, an opportunist that he is, appears very confused. One minute he wants be MP for Subin, the next he is paying agents to plant articles everywhere for him to be Akufo-Addo's running mate. What a desperate opportunist, you have been found out.

It is my prayer and it shall be the prayer of every NPP and Subin faithful that God should speak on the fateful day. NPP delegates, God has given you the power to chart your fate, I would advise that, you are indeed better off with Isaac Osei, he is an opportunist par excellence.



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