NPP distances itself from KOKA’s tribal attack on COCOBOD CEO
The Director of Communications for the New Patriotic Party, Richard Ahiagbah, has publicly distanced the party from tribal comments made by party sympathiser Kwaku Osei Korankye Asiedu, popularly known as KOKA, describing the remarks as regrettable and inconsistent with the party’s values.
Speaking on Good Morning Ghana on Metro TV, Mr Ahiagbah told host Moro Awudu that the NPP does not subscribe to tribal politics and believes public officials should be judged by their performance, not their ethnic background.
“The New Patriotic Party is not a tribalistic party. We don’t judge people by where they come from, but by their performance,” he said.
“If the conversation is about delivery or non-delivery, then we can have that conversation. There is no place for tribalism in our national life or in our political discourse.”
His comments follow remarks by KOKA directed at the Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Cocoa Board, Dr Ransford Abbey. KOKA had questioned Dr Abbey’s suitability for the role, arguing that as a Ga man from the Greater Accra Region who had not farmed before, he had no business heading the cocoa regulatory body.
KOKA linked his criticism to ongoing concerns in the cocoa sector, including delays in payments to farmers, suggesting that the CEO’s background was a factor in the challenges facing the industry.
Mr Ahiagbah, however, rejected that line of argument, stressing that criticism should focus on policy and performance rather than ethnicity or origin. While describing KOKA as a committed and spirited party member, he maintained that such comments were inappropriate and should not define political debate.
“If it comes to the work he is doing, yes, let’s critique that all day,” he said. “That should be the focus, not his person or where he comes from.”