Nana Bails Out NPP

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the 2012

elections and the lead contender for the party's 2016 presidential race, Nana

Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has released an amount of GH¢600,000 (¢6 billion) to facilitate the transportation of delegates in today's flagbearership contest, particularly in orphan constituencies.

Second Vice Chairman of the party in the Upper West Region, Hafiz Bin Salih, who confirmed receipt of some portion of the funds said, 'Nana has supported the party by giving each delegate in the Upper West Region GH¢10 to facilitate their movement to and from the polling centre' and 'the money was sent through the various constituency executives to the delegates.'

What seemed to baffle him was that 'some people are trying not to credit Nana with the good gesture.'

The NPP leadership, particularly the General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei  Agyepong, denied that any money had come from the front runner of today's primary, saying that the National Headquarters had not received any money from Nana Addo.

Earlier, Nana Akufo- Addo received distress calls from the regions regarding the lack of funds to transport delegates from their respective homes to polling centres to cast their votes, especially in constituencies where the NPP does not have sitting Members of Parliament (MPs).

Former party General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, also raised similar

concerns, stating that the leadership of the NPP was having issues with raising

money for the elections, which he said, could lead to a postponement of the  elections.

Even though he came under heavy attack from incumbent General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong, who denied that the party was broke, sources said the absence of the bailout would have affected voter turnout for today's election, since it could have compelled delegates who live several miles away from polling stations, especially in the regions, to boycott the elections for want of T&T.

Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso Central, Henry Quartey, who spoke on Accra-based Citi FM yesterday, disclosed that the Finance Committee of the NPP, which was tasked to raise funds for the congress, could not meet their target.

Interestingly, Pius Enam Hadzide, one of the several persons appointed by the Paul Afoko- Kwabena Agyepong-led national executive as Deputy Communications Director, issued a statement yesterday in which he sought to deny claims that the party was grappling with the issue of finding money for the elections.

He therefore asked the party faithful to disregard the speculation.

Pius said 'the party wishes to emphatically state that the claims by both Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie and Hon Henry Quartey that the party is broke and has no money and that an individual presidential aspirant had funded the exercise to the

tune of GH¢600,000 respectively are palpably false and most unfortunate',even though the party's Upper West 2nd Vice Chairman had confirmed the release of the funds by Nana Addo.

He therefore gave the assurance that 'the elections of Saturday, October

18, 2014 will come off as schedule at all the 276 designated polling stations',

as 'all necessary preparations have been made for the successful conduct of the exercise.'

Aside that, he claimed 'arrangements have been made for transportation

allowances for delegates who need to travel long distances both in orphan or

distressed constituencies and constituencies with sitting MPs', claiming that

monies had been advanced to all constituencies in the Upper East, Upper West,

selected constituencies in
Northern, Eastern, Volta
and other regions.
Kwabena Agyepong's beef was that Nana Addo did not release the money

to the national executive and rather dealt with regions and constituencies

directly.
According to inside party sources, the 2012 presidential candidate, who is tipped to win today's congress, was only showing leadership which the Afoko-led national officers had abdicated, by going to the aid of distressed constituencies with no sitting MPs so that they could also enjoy the GH¢10 budgeted for all delegates.

The national officers could not raise money for the congress, apart from contributions by MPs and the filing fees of the aspirants which had been blown on other things.

The financial crisis, according to sources, was real and the Afoko team

was only trying to brush it aside, so the General Secretary would say that the

voting was a voluntary exercise, in case of a low voter-turnout.

An insider asked Kwabena Agyepong why he gave the delegates money when he was contesting for his current position if he knew that service to the party was voluntary; and why someone was promising to give delegates motorbikes and bicycles registered in the name of the executive.

'These people have lost it,' a source said angrily.