Plot to ditch Osafo Maafo uncovered

The Campaign Team of former Minister for Education, Science and Sports and one of the front runners in the flag bearer-ship race of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo, has uncovered a gigantic plot hatched by the campaign team of another aspirant with the intention to ditch him.

In view of the uncovering plot, Mr. Osafo Maafo has decided to go offensive against what he perceives as a campaign of lies against him being perpetrated with the sole purpose of watering down his (Maafo's) campaign message, which has already gone down well with delegates, both potential and known.

And his goal for going offensive so quickly is to neutralise the effect of that villainous campaign before it takes-off.

Credible information available to The Independent speak of attempts by some members of the campaign team of a prominent aspirant to scuttle the flag bearer bid of Mr. Osafo Maafo, who is the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Akim Oda.

Our sources within the campaign team of Osafo Maafo, known in political circles as "Oyeadeayie," say the campaign team of the other front runner aspirant (name withheld), has been going round spreading false rumours that, Mr. Osafo Maafo intends to go into an alliance with their aspirant.

"Osafo Maafo will throw his weight behind our aspirant, he won't run to the end," is what that campaign team is reported to be telling the party people they meet on their campaign tours.

That, according to our information, is rendering confused potential and known delegates, who have bought deeply into the ideals and message of Mr. Osafo Maafo, and has thrown them into a state of disappointment and confusion.

Our sources hinted that, some areas that campaign team has already been to spread such falsehood include the three northern regions and parts of the Greater Accra Region, especially Ada, Sege, Tema East and West and the Ashiaman Constituencies.

That aspirant's campaign team is also said to have spread their falsehood concocted with callous intent in some parts of both the Central and the Western Regions.

The areas where the falsehood about Osafo Maafo's alliance have been spread happen to be some of the best terrains for the former minister, who once held the portfolio as the Minister of Finance, during whose tenure the country decided to opt for the HIPC initiative that brought all the reliefs of respite.

Mr. Osafo Maafo, who came under intense fire at the time over his decision, stood his grounds and opted for the initiative, whose benefits the country is today reaping through the various debt reliefs.

To the campaign team of Mr. Osafo Maafo, the motive behind such debauchery by the other aspirant's campaign team, is to muddy the waters in areas that have become the strongholds of the Akim Oda MP in an attempt to frustrate his efforts.

Meanwhile, our sources say, Mr. Osafo Maafo, who is outraged at the act, is now saddled with the task of debunking that false assertion on his fresh tour of the three northern regions.

Everywhere he made a stop, he is reported to have told potential delegates together with party supporters and activists who gave him a rousing welcome to ignore the cheap propaganda by that aspirant's campaign team.

"I am not considering any alliance with any aspirant, I will not throw my weight behind anybody, I will fight alone to the end and I know victory will be mine," he told his audience in Gonjaland and other places in the northern region.

Speaking to The Independent on the matter, Mr. Osafo Maafo's campaign Co¬ordinator, Mr. Prince Aboagye, described that move as infantile and naive, and said, "It shows clearly that they are desperate and do not have anything to boast of as an achievement."

He advised aspirants to conduct clean campaigns devoid of rancour and falsehoods, and noted that, "It is important to market oneself on the basis of what one has done and can do."