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09.06.2012 General News

Is National Security Spying On Nana Addo?

By Daily Guide
Brigadier-General Nunoo-Mensah and Gbevlo LarteyBrigadier-General Nunoo-Mensah and Gbevlo Lartey
09.06.2012 LISTEN

A private meeting between flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and a delegation from the Danish Embassy on Thursday, was nearly marred when National Security officials invaded the venue demanding that they be allowed to join the meeting.

About six (6) operatives from national security allegedly turned up at the M̦venpick Ambassador Hotel in Accra, Рwhere the Danish Ambassador to Ghana, H. E Carsten Nilaus Pedersen and the Danish Foreign Minister, Villy Sovndal, were set to hold a meeting with Nana Addo, Рhell bent on sitting in the discussion.

The meeting, which was at the instance of the Danish counterparts, centred on the 2012 general elections and Nana Addo's commitment towards a peaceful, free and fair polls.

Mustapha Hamid, an Aide to the NPP flagbearer, confirmed this in an interview with Kwami Sefa Kayi on  Peace FM 's morning show ' Kokrokoo '.

He disclosed that when the NPP presidential candidate arrived at the venue, the Danish delegation informed him that some government operatives had approached them and wanted to be part of the discussion.

'The Denmark embassy invited Nana Addo to a meeting at the Movenpick hotel but when Nana got to the venue, he was informed by the Danish Ambassador that national security officials have invaded the venue and wanted to be part of the deliberations. According to the diplomats, the security operatives said they do not understand why the Danes will want to confer with an opposition leader…' he narrated.

Eventually, he said, the meeting which was originally scheduled to be held in a private conference room had to be re-located since no amount of protestation could compel the national security operatives from taking leave of them.

'Finally, Nana Addo and the Danish delegation decided to let them have their way by holding the meeting in the open at the pool side. So the security operatives hovered around the poolside whiles Nana Addo and the diplomats held the meeting in the full glare of everyone,' he added.

Mustapha Hamid described the action by the security agencies as a huge 'embarrassment' to the government adding that he is alarmed an opposition leader can no longer hold a meeting with foreign dignitaries without the presence of the national security.

He accused the ruling party of having the penchant of invading people's privacy and exhibiting paranoia tendencies when faced with the reality that defeat is staring them in the face.

'…prior to the 2000 elections, some Italian diplomats and businessmen who were about to hold a meeting with then candidate Kufuor, were arrested and detained by the national security for no apparent reason,' Mustapha Hamid said.

http://www.dailyguideghana.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/samuel_ablakwa.jpg

Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa
But in a sharp riposte, government says no such incident occurred claiming it is a figment of the NPPs imagination.

A Deputy Information Minister, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa asserts in an interview with  JoyFM  that it is a fabricated story and called on the NPP to credit national security with some intelligence.

According to him, if government was really interested in listening to the supposed private conversation, the security agencies could easily have wired the place without resorting to this 'kindergarten' way of gathering information.

'We are totally surprised about this new allegation which has been cooked and concocted by the NPP…It never happened; it is a figment of the imagination of Mustapha Hamid and those who are concocting this claim,' he charged.

But the NPP insists the party will for no reason concoct a story involving diplomats and has dared the media to conduct their own independent investigation to ascertain the veracity of their claims.

'…it is only a liar who will say his witness is dead,' Mustapha Hamid countered.

Source: Peacefmonline

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