We have video evidence: Osafo Maafo cannot runaway-NDC

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) says former Finance Minister Yaw Osafo Maafo cannot hide behind modern technology to deny making explosive ethnic comments which could potentially divide the country.

Deputy Communications Director of the NDC Fred Agbenyo says the party has incontrovertible evidence to prove that Maafo indeed made the comments he has so vehemently denied.

A leaked tape recording from a meeting being addressed by the former flagbearer aspirant had a voice similar to that of Mr Maafo making divisive comments.

He is alleged to have said in the recording that the country's wealth cannot be spread in only five regions including Ashanti, Eastern Western, Brong Ahafo only for a person who does not hail from any of these regions to be elected as president.

"You have all the resources but you have no say in the management of your resources," Maafo is alleged to have said.

But the former Minister has vehemently denied making any such comments.

In a statement signed by his special assistant Emmanuel Bediako Mamfe, he said the comments in the leaked tape have been "doctored, mischievously re-arranged and pieced together."

While admitting he made comments during a January 29, 2015 meeting he said the comments attributed to him could not be true.

"The alleged tape purported to be [my] voice has been doctored, mischievously re-arranged and pieced together, using modern technology, to create a false impression," he said in the statement.

"The release of this doctored tape is a desperate attempt to divert the attention of Ghanaians from REAL problems facing Ghana – widespread corruption, rising levels of unemployment, economic hardships and mismanagement of the economy," the statement added.

However Fred Agbenyo is not convinced. He found it rather curious that Yaw Osafo Maafo who is eloquent and has publicly spoken on many national issues has suddenly gone silent on an issue as important as this and would allow a special assistant to issue a statement on his behalf.

He told Joy News' Evans Mensah on Top Story Osafo Maafo cannot run away from this.

"I am sad that the man I have too much respect for cannot stand by what he said. Now running around using technology as an excuse, claiming that somebody has doctored his words; somebody has pieced things together to score political points..." he lamented.

He said before the NDC organised the press conference to make public this leaked tape it made its own checks and is sure that the comments were actually made by Osafo Maafo.

Agbenyo challenged him to come out himself and deny the allegations, with a firm promise that the NDC will release video evidence of him making the comment.

Fred Agbenyo said Mr Maafo and the NPP must come out and retract the comments and apologise accordingly or the NDC would talk about the recording consistently and tell the whole world how divisive the Danquah Tradition is.