MAHAMA DEFENDS BOYS

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Thursday, April 13, 2017

Former President John Dramani Mahama has put up a spirited defence of his young appointees who have been blamed for causing the party’s defeat in the 2016 general election.

According to him, those saying that he surrounded himself with young people (‘babies with sharp teeth’) dislike those personalities and that’s why they are quick to blame them for the party’s defeat.

In what can be interpreted as an affirmation of trust in his young ministers, the ex-president at a meeting with his appointees, said, “Some say young people surrounded the president…I mean just say I don’t like the people not that they are young.”

Incessant Accusations

The ‘experienced’ people in the opposition party have been accusing ex-President Mahama of running a failed campaign by surrounding himself with ‘young’ and ‘inexperienced’ people and that led to the party’s humiliating defeat on December 7, 2016.

Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei and former national organiser, Yaw Boateng Gyan, are among the party chieftains who believe that the NDC was walloped because of the inexperienced handlers of the president’s 2016 campaign.

Names that are on the lips of these ‘senior’ NDC members are ex-President Mahama’s trusted aide Stan Dogbe and Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, who was the Minister of Communications as well as Kofi Adams, campaign coordinator.

Wise Counsel

They accused Mr Mahama of not heeding to wise counsel from senior party members and rather used his ‘boys’ to suppress dissenting views in the run-up to the elections.

In the past weeks, party activists like Koku Anyidoho (deputy general secretary), Anita De Sooso (vice chairperson),  Joseph Bipoba Naabu (MP for Yunyoo), Yaw Boateng Gyan (former national organizer), among many others, have all claimed that Mahama, then NDC presidential candidate, sidelined most of the executives and rubbed shoulders only with the young appointees.

Campaign Coordinator

A member of the communications team of the party, Agbesi Notsu, described the national organizer and campaign coordinator, Kofi Adams, as a ‘disaster’ who contributed hugely to the NDC’s defeat; and said Kofi Adams did a terrible job as the campaign coordinator which set the party on track for defeat in the polls.

Even Dr. Kwabena Adjei had stated unequivocally that it was the inexperienced people around President Mahama who misled him.

“The handlers were all young, inexperienced and they misled him. I will say this anywhere without any fear or favour. We the old ones come with experience, he should have listened to us),” he told Accra-based Starr FM on Wednesday.

 Fights Back

However, the ex-president parried the accusations at the meeting when he said, “All those people they are referring to are above 40 years.” He queried, “How can you call a 40-year-old man with wife and children a young man surrounding the president? I don’t understand.”

“When I became deputy minister to my brother Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, I was 39 years old. Yes, we were young but we served and served properly. I am sure Spio was in his 40s at the time. You can’t say he was small boy.”

CHINESE EMBASSY FIGHTS MEDIA OVER GALAMSEY

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wenesday, April 12, 2017

An appeal by the Chinese to the government to ‘guide’ the media on what to report in the fight against illegal mining (known in local parlance as galamsey), has incurred the wrath of some Ghanaians.

Platforms such as the social media, are replete with furious statements following the request which many have interpreted as gagging or restricting the media.

The fight against galamsey – an occupation which has been dominated by foreigners, mostly Chinese - has heightened since January and the coalition formed by the media has taken the fight a notch higher.

Media Bias

However, the Chinese Embassy in Accra appears uncomfortable with the way the media are parading the Chinese in the headlines and has written to the government to ‘guide’ the media in relation to the emerging issues.

According to the embassy, the campaign mounted to stop galamsey has been targeted at its nationals and accused the media of bias.

"The Chinese side is very concerned about this unhealthy tendency. We hope the Ghanaian government will pay due attention to this situation, take necessary action to stop such things from happening," the letter, addressed to the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, indicated.

Clear Cut Matters

"The Chinese government attaches great importance to the illegal mining issue. The position of the Chinese government on this issue is consistent and clear-cut,” it said, adding, “The Chinese Embassy is firmly opposed to the involvement of the Chinese citizens in illegal mining in Ghana and supports the efforts taken by the Ghanaian government to tackle the illegal mining issue within the legal framework.

“The Chinese mission however, considers the media campaign and efforts to fight galamsey, a deviation from what they think should be the framework in fighting galamsey in Ghana.”

Defamatory Report

"We sincerely hope that the Ghanaian government shall take responsibility of guiding the media and requesting them not to publicise such defamatory reports or stories against Chinese officials and the Chinese government,” it underscored.

According to the embassy, if that was done, it would “help create a sound environment for our joint efforts to address this issue and the continuous development of our bilateral relations.”

But the Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) - a media rights group – has called the bluff of the Chinese, saying that they can’t dictate to Ghana.

“China is to Chinese; Ghana is to Ghanaians. Relations between the two countries are very important but such relations must be based on mutual respect. No amount of grants can create a single river. A $100 billion grant cannot create river Pra or Ankobra. And no amount of funds can equal the benefits of river Ankobra, Pra, etc to past, present and future generations. Let no one threaten us in our own country for seeking to preserve our country. Grants don't create rivers,” Sulemana Braimah fumed.

Govt Fights

The sector Minister, John Peter Amewu, said on Joy FM that the government will not be blackmailed by any group and pledged an unwavering commitment against galamsey, which has reached alarming levels.

The minister has already given a three-week ultimatum for all illegal miners to leave the sites and has pledged that in the course of the three weeks, he would embark on a campaign toward educating the miners on the harmful effects of galamsey - which has already polluted almost every water body in the country and destroyed the entire environment.

After the three-week deadline, the minister has promised to move in with a task force to get rid of all illegal miners and reclaim the lands.

Bombshell

Last week, in the heat of the discussion, a former minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Inusah Fuseini, dropped a bombshell when he said the then Chinese Ambassador to Ghana made every effort to frustrate the ministry’s fight against illegal mining.

Inusah said, “He (Ambassador) offered me a scholarship but I refused.”

He said he sensed that the Ambassador’s overtures were all part of the strategy to get him to relax his fight against galamsey operators, which involved the arrests and deportation of foreigners, including some Chinese.

Sour Relationship

According to Fusieni, who is the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale Central, when the Ambassador found him unyielding, the relationship between Ghana and China took a nosedive.

“There were some changes in China’s relations with Ghana,” he said, adding, “When I started the operation to clean the small-scale mining sector of illegalities, they reviewed the visa regime for Ghanaians… before you go to China, your application had to be sent to China before you got approval. It was also now difficult for government officials to immediately obtain visas to go to China.”

AMERI $520 DEAL IS A RIP-OFF

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Monday, April 10, 2017

Bright Simons, a brilliant social innovator and researcher, has revealed that the contract signed between the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government and the Middle East Resources Investment Group LLC, also known as AMERI Group or AMERI Energy “might be the most outrageous swindle this country has seen in the last decade.”

According to the founder and president of mPedigree, Ghana paid $260 million more in the deal which translates into 21% per annum, saying, “That 21% effective annual interest rate is the product either of criminal incompetence or sheer recklessness, which leads many right-minded persons to suspect underhand dealings.”

Giving the breakdown, he said his research showed that $110 million went to the people who actually procured the plant and did all the work - Metka/PPL and $150 million to the broker, which is AMERI.

Outlandish Claim

Mr. Simons, who is also affiliated to IMANI Ghana, a think tank, said his analysis of the controversial deal had been informed by what he called the ‘outlandish’ claims by former Deputy Minister of Power, John Abdulai Jinapor, under the previous NDC government to defend the deal.

$510 BOOT

The $510 million Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) Agreement came under the spotlight once again after the Ministry of Energy had tasked a committee chaired by popular lawyer, Phillip Addison,to restructure the deal.

The committee recommended to the government to call back owners of the Dubai-based company (AMERI) for renegotiation.

It said that in the event that AMERI Energy refuses to come to the negotiation table “GoG should repudiate the Agreement on the grounds of fraud.”

It stated, “The Committee recommends that Ameri Energy should be invited back to the negotiation table to address and remedy the issues enumerated in this report and for GoG to aim to claw back a substantial portion of the over $150 million commission.”

NDC Opposition

However, the opposition NDC, which signed the deal whilst in office, has been speaking strongly against the new government’s move to get AMERI back to the negotiation table, making many wonder if the opposition party has Ghana’s interest at heart.

Former Power Minister, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, who supervised the signing of the controversial deal, and other NDC ministers together with the minority MPs in parliament, have condemned the NPP government for taking steps to re-examine the deal.

“The comparable cedi interest rate is 50% (accounting for the dollar-cedi inflation and exchange rate depreciation differentials); it is MADNESS for any sovereign state to borrow at such rates!” Mr. Simons said.

He added, “But that is effectively what we have done in this AMERI deal! It is an implied loan at a cut-throat interest rate!

 “Do we have even table-top sellers paying that kind of interest to microfinance companies in Ghana?” he queried.

Total Rip Off

The mPedigree founder said that had Ghana borrowed $250 million over five years to buy the power plant-units and pay for the balance of plant auxiliaries, the total cost would have been $325 million and added that Ghana would have paid $360 million if the country used a contractor alone without engaging any broker like AMERI.

He said in the end, Ghana will pay $510 million, because it used AMERI as the broker, saying, “What is so damn difficult about seeing that a GREAT SWINDLE has taken place? Perhaps the worst such swindle of the last two decades?”

Cost Of Financing

There are two major aspects responsible for the confusion, Mr Simons  claimed, and mentioned them as the cost of financing, as well as the integration of the unit plants into a whole called "balance of plant.”

“Because these are modular, compact, self-contained plants, the ‘balance of plant’ is also more or less turnkey and is available on the open market.”

He noted, “This is starkly different from what is the case when building a normal thermal plant. Dozens of projects examined show an average of about 10% of total plant cost going to balance of plant costing (for the Tm2500+) the balance of plant is often trailer-mounted and can be assembled in a few weeks.”

Mr. Simons said, “So we can put the ‘raw costs’ of the final AMERI plant at $250 million maximum based on open catalogue prices and not speculation.”

Tough Negotiator

He said that a tough negotiator “can bring down the pricing as we have seen in Indonesia and Egypt, where per MW prices for some of these deals have gone as low as $500,000. Remember that in AMERI's case we are paying more than $2 million per MW in capital costs alone!”

Mr. Simons said that General Electric (GE), which sold the 10 TM 2500 aeroderivative gas turbines with AMERI as the broker, had also sold thousands of these plants directly and through engineering partners.

GE Financing

He said GE has a massive financing arm that enables prospective customers to obtain advice on how to structure the financing for these plants, adding that Ghana should have taken that option and not use AMERI as a broker.

“These plants are designed for delivery during emergencies so GE is very familiar with the financing needs of customers pressed for time and short on cash, and can recommend solutions.”

“Ghana needed 10 plants, which are sold for $22 million each, saying we needed 256 MW and obviously wanted a financing option we could afford. So we went to a company called Ameri to put together a turnkey project that will help us procure the solution.”

He said, “Ameri went to a Turkish company called Metka, which bought the equipment from GE. Metka brought in an affiliate called PPL that supplied the components and engineering manpower used to integrate the plants into a single whole. The ground works were executed at Ghana's cost by Engineers & Planners.”

Mr. Simons observed, “Ameri then signed an agreement with Ghana in which Ghana will pay for the plants over a period of 5 years in monthly installments of about $9.9 million. Ghana obviously also pays for the fuel and other operational and other servicing costs. Think of this as 'hire purchase', or what the taxi drivers call ‘work and pay'.”

I KNEW NDC WAS LOSING - KUNBUOR

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Monday, April 10, 2017

Dr Benjamin Kunbour, former Defence Minister, has pointed out that he knew the Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government would lose the December 7, 2016 elections.

He said the signs of defeat were similar to what happened in 1999/2000 when the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) defeated the NDC in the 2000 polls.

“It was possible you could see that defeat was coming because anyone who has been around from 1999/2000 could see a symmetry between the developments that were taking place, particularly a year or a-year-and-a-half in the runoff to the elections,” he underscored on GHOne TV's ‘State of Affairs’ programme recently.

Mahama Floored

In last year’s election, the NPP’s candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, made sure that then President John Dramani Mahama’s dream of a re-election did not become a reality by knocking him (Mahama) out with 5,716,026 votes (representing 53.85%), while Mr. Mahama secured 4,713,277 votes (44.40%).

As if that was not enough, the NDC entered into the current political dispensation as minority in parliament with only 104 seats as against the NPP’s 171- having snatched some 49 seats from the former.

Self-Introspection

Dr. Kunbour, who was once indicted by the police for firing bullets inside his own vehicle but claimed it was an assassination attempt, said some leading members of the NDC also knew that the party was opposition-bound.

“I spent a bit of my quiet time doing some analysis and I must say at that time, I was a bit frightened about the parallels and similarities of 1999 and 2000 which eventually led to our electoral defeat at that time. So there was cause for worry at that time,” he admitted.

According to him, the worsening graduate unemployment, leading to increase in membership of the Ghana Unemployed Graduates Association, as well as the austerity measures directed by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), were all factors for the NDC’s defeat.

External Environment

“The external environment, you don’t always control it. Externally, we had gone into an IMF package which the consequences were of very high level austerity. The austerity hit directly at our constituency,” he maintained, adding, “There is no way that with the global unemployment, particularly youth unemployment you have in this country, that will not become an election issue.

“In the peculiar case of Ghana, I saw the percentage of graduate unemployment reach an astronomical level to the extent that an association of unemployed graduates had to be formed to articulate these concerns… and that clearly mirrors what exactly was going on in the country. There were many more but they all fed into the package,” he noted.

Dr. Kunbour, who was once majority leader in parliament, pointed out, “There is no way you can run austerity in this part of the world of an emerging economy in which hardship cannot be wished away. And because you are incumbent, it becomes difficult. You can’t say as we take this major step, this is going to be the outcome. It becomes easier for your opponent. They simply look at it and because they have no responsibility at the time, they make a very clear statement so there is no attempt at rationalising the state of the economy. They were in a relative comfort zone.”

Early Congress

Dr Benjamin Kunbour, former Lawra/Nandom (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP), has noted that it would be in the interest of the party to hold early congress to select a presidential candidate for the 2020 election.

Without directly passing a vote of no confidence in ex-President Mahama - who is tipped to return as the NDC candidate - or the current executives of the party, the former minister said, “A party that has suffered this level of defeat with so much internal acrimony and internal pain still in the mind, if we could not take eight years to galvanise that into an electoral victory, I don’t see how we can do that within one year or one-and-a-half years.”

He said on Class FM in Accra last Thursday that the current constitutional arrangement of the party should not be adhered to strictly since the time for electing a flag bearer would be too close to the 2020 general election.

“…Given all the preparations that are involved, it will mean that by the time you are getting to elect your flag bearer, you will be in 2019,” he observed.

Dr Kunbour said the NDC constitution should be ‘explored in times of challenges,’ adding that the time has come for the leadership of the party to “use those powers to resolve a number of issues, and I guess this is a useful thing we should be looking at.”

NDC CADRES CALL FOR EARLY CONGRESS

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

 Saturday, April 08, 2017

The political turbulence that has hit the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) following the party’s humiliating defeat in the 2016 general election is continuing unabated.

This is because cadres and activists of the party are putting pressure on the national executives to organize an early congress to save the NDC from further disintegration.

Early Congress

“We urge the current leadership of the party to call an early congress to forestall the despondency that is fast creeping in, to be exploited by adventurists,” Akuamoah Ofosu Boateng, secretary of the cadres, said in a statement yesterday.

The party has already set up a 13-member Kwesi Botchwey committee to look into why the NDC lost the election.

But even before the Botchwey Committee, which has been facing challenges, would submit its report, there are cacophonous voices calling for early congress and stepping aside of the current executives.

The cadres warned that before the congress was held,  “The fraudulent party register that was hurriedly put together without first piloting it to access its integrity should be replaced,” and hinted of a court action if that was not done saying, “We call on well-meaning members of the party to challenge its use, if need be, in court.”

Flamboyant Rallies

According to the cadres, the NDC, which they claimed was founded on social democratic principles of probity and accountability as well as grass root participation, rather embarked on a profligate adventure during the 2016 electioneering campaign, which cost them dearly.

 “The NDC 2016 campaign was characterized by flamboyant   rallies full of opulence and fanfare devoid of any political or ideological substance that did not resonate with the actual people on the ground,” the statement indicated.

Disjointed Structures

“The structures of the NDC at the national, regional and constituency levels refused to work at the grass roots. The Branch executives were virtually sidelined when logistics and funds were provided from the higher levels. Members at the branch levels were frustrated and neglected. The NDC campaign in 2016 neither energized the base nor encouraged new people to join the party.

 “About one million of our own people who voted for the NDC in 2012 felt excluded,  alienated, disillusioned and abandoned by the party they have loved ever since its  inception in 1992. They therefore decided to sit on the fence and watch the unfolding events.”

Cadres Snub

According to the cadres, the NDC national executives deliberately ignored them during the campaign and said the party bigwigs saw them as a nuisance in the run-up to the elections.

“The cadres of the National Democratic Revolution, who had worked hard to unite their forces into the United Cadre Front (UCF) and had been accepted and endorsed  by the National Executive Committee at a press conference organized at the National  Headquarters of the party, were deliberately sidelined and ignored in the whole  campaign period,” the statement claimed, adding, “Indeed, before and during the 2016 elections, these cadres  were seen by some leaders of the party and former government appointees as a  plaque to be avoided.”

Bad Policies

According to them, the Mahama-led government abandoned the policies and programmes “tailored to benefit the ordinary working people, but was happily pursuing projects  that largely benefitted the elite and the privileged class in the society.

Business People

The cadres said that the NDC leadership “did not only show clear signs of exhaustion from eight years of  government, it also displayed a lack of ideological commitment to social  democracy if at all some of them understood it.

“Key operatives became businessmen and women with business proposals in their armpits as a past-time and therefore, lacked the zeal and focus to drive a successful election.”

They also said some NDC leaders were bankrupt of new ideas, while some appointees “demonstrated arrogance, showed vulgar opulence and self-conceitedness in the mist of poverty and social deprivation.”

According to them, it was glaring that per the happenings in the NDC, “the party was going to struggle to hold on to power in the 2016 elections.

“No wonder the NDC suffered a humiliating defeat never seen in the annals of the party's political history.”

They added, “It is therefore not an understatement that the party needs reorganization, if it is to be relevant in the current political dispensation and to recover itself.”

WOYOME GOES TO INT’L COURT

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

 Friday, April 07, 2017

It has been confirmed that embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier Alfred Agbesi Woyome has filed a suit against the Government of Ghana at the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce Secretariat over the much-touted GH¢51.2 million he dubiously took from the state.

He wants the court to stop the government from asking him to pay back the money which the Supreme Court said he took illegally from the state.

The secretariat of the international court, in a letter of March 21, 2017 with reference JRF-CJ, acknowledged receipt of Mr Woyome’s application for arbitration.

The international body said it received the documents on March 20.

ICC Rules

He had filed the application on March 17, and the letter signed by Jose Ricardo Feris, Deputy Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration, said “Pursuant to Article 4(2) of the ICC Rules of Arbitration in force as from 1 March 2017 (Rules), this arbitration commenced on that date.”

The case has the title, ‘Alfred Agbesi Woyome (Ghana) vs/ Republic of Ghana (Ghana)’ with case reference 22679/TO.

Mr Woyome has been asked to include the accurate caption and reference in all future correspondences.

On filing fee, the secretariat said, “We have received a cheque for the non-refundable filing fee from Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, who are representing Mr Woyome and was asked to confirm within five days from the day following receipt of this correspondence.”

“Please be informed that should the confirmation not be considered as satisfactory by the bank pursuant to its legal obligations under french law, the payment received by ICC may be canceled and the lack of relevant information reported to the relevant authorities.”

Electronic Version

The letter said that “we have received an electronic version of the request and of the documents annexed thereto,” adding that “we note that four hard copies of the request and of the documents annexed thereto were sent to the secretariat by courier.”

The letter cited Mr Woyome’s case management team as Tunde Ogunseitan (counsel), Anne de Mazieres and Rikee Kjeldsen, (all deputy counsel), as well as Ms Ingrid Materner and Clement Radosch as assistants.

“Your case management team will write to you concerning the notification of the request and other relevant information.”

AG Reaction

A source at the office of the Solicitor General in the Attorney General’s Department has confirmed that the government is aware of Mr Woyome’s action but was not certain if the processes had been officially served on the AG.

He indicated that the AG will not waste time in filing a response if the processes are served on the government.

Payment Arrangement

Before the crucial general elections, which the then ruling NDC lost massively to opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Mahama-led government made Ghanaians to believe that Mr Woyome had started paying back the GH¢51.2 million in installments.

Mr Woyome himself at a news conference told Ghanaians that he had started making payments in installments which was authorised by then Attorney General Betty Mould Iddrisu and her deputy Ebo Barton-Odro against the directive of former President John Evans Atta Mills.

First Installment

In November 2016 in the heat of the election campaign, Mr Woyome announced that he had refunded GH¢4 million to the state, adding that it represented part payment of the GH¢51.2 million he owed.

Woyome said his lawyers promised to pay the outstanding balance by quarterly installments of GH¢5 million, commencing April 1, 2017.

Former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Marietta Brew Appiah-Opong, as a result, filed an application at the Supreme Court to discontinue the request for oral examination of Mr Woyome at the instance of former AG Martin ABK Amidu, who had been pursuing the embattled NDC financier to pay back the money.

Cheque Receipt

A letter dated November 7, 2016 and signed by a Chief State Attorney, Mrs Dorothy Afriyie-Ansah, acknowledged receipt of a cheque for GH¢4 million from Mr Woyome and the receipt was witnessed by the Solicitor-General, Mrs Helen Ziwu.

On April 6, 2016, then Attorney-General initiated garnishee proceedings against the managers of the ADB, uniBank (Ghana) Limited and UT Bank, bankers of Mr Woyome.

According to the former AG, the garnishee had yielded the following amounts - GH¢966.58, GH¢29,515.95, GH¢1,008.70, US$98.17, US$32,779.68, US$223.08 and €1,226.72 - which have since been paid into the bank account of the Attorney-General’s Office at the Bank of Ghana (BoG).

Amidu Factor

Mr Woyome was being pursued vigorously by former Attorney General Martin ABK Amidu, known for his anti-corruption exploits, when it became clear that the NDC government was not willing to take the money from Mr Woyome.

Mr Amidu, popularly called Citizen Vigilante, had secured judgement at the Supreme Court that the huge amount of money paid to Mr Woyome by the NDC government was illegally done.

It was when the NDC lost the election to the NPP that Mr Amidu announced in court that he was withdrawing his case against Mr Woyome to allow the government to retrieve the money.

NDC IS BROKEN CAR - SPIO

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Wednesday, April 05, 2017

The former Minister of Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has described the current state of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) as a ‘broken down vehicle’ that needs serious repairs before it can get to the road again.

Spio, who is among several NDC chieftains like former President John Mahama, former Rector of UPSA, Joshua Alabi and former NHIA boss, Sylvester Mensah, eyeing the NDC flagbearership slot, believes that the damage caused to the party in the 2016 elections should be addressed before the party can tread on a winning path.

“The situation in our party is really one of building the party and letting it recover from a very severe electoral loss. It is just like driving a very good car and the car has an accident and it needs to be fixed; so the first thing you want to do is take it to the mechanic and let the electricians do their work, check the transmission, take care of the brakes, the shock absorbers, then when the car is in a good condition, almost any driver can drive it and potentially bring it to the victory line,” he stated on Citi Fm yesterday.

The former minister under John Mahama’s administration explained that the process of fixing the broken down vehicle is through the Kwesi Botchwey fact finding committee probing why the party lost miserably to the then opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) by more than one million votes.

“… If the car has broken down and you put the best driver in the car, the car cannot move and the car will certainly not win a race; so our concentration now is to help the Kwesi Botchwey committee and the party secretariat,” he indicated.

He said the reason for the massive defeat of the NDC cannot be left to speculations. “There is a committee of very fine brains going round to collate concerns and when they file their report we will all see where they claim or think the problems went,” Ekwow Spio-Garbrah noted.

President John Mahama was defeated by the New Patriotic Party’s Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the December 7 election in what many have described as the worst performance put up by a sitting president in an election.

The NDC, upon agitations by the party activists, set up a  13-member committee to identify what caused the party’s loss and make useful suggestions.

Committee Angry

The Kwesi Botchwey committee however, took a strong exception to a report that it has concluded its work and released a final report.

The committee said the supposed report is a “sick and malicious ‘April fool’s’ joke” and must be treated with contempt.

A statement issued in Accra and purportedly signed by Dr Botchwey said, “Our attention has been drawn to a news item that has been trending on social media platforms and purporting to be a report of the Election  Review Committee chaired by me.

“The said publication is an obvious ‘April fool’s’ day prank that is also intended to cause mischief. The committee has not finished its work and has issued NO report of any sort. I urge everybody to treat the said publication as what it is - a rather sick and malicious ‘April fool’s’ joke.”

The report had claimed that the committee had indicted ex-President Mahama for causing the NDC’s defeat on December 7, 2016.

It had claimed that bad governance of John Dramani Mahama was the main cause of the party's defeat and had said the then president cared less about Ghanaians, adding that “John Dramani Mahama’s intolerance and desire to enrich himself overnight was a factor.”

It also said, “The arrogance of some members of the party was a factor. Especially, Kwaku Boahen, Kofi Adams, Solomon Nkansah, Felix Kwakye Fosu, Stan Dogbe, among others. They never respected the Ghanaian voter and thought they could use propaganda to win an election.”

“John Dramani Mahama gave party resources meant for the elections to his cronies instead of the constituency executives. For instance, an amount of GH¢20 million was given to the so-called ‘Doves for Mahama’ for reasons best known to the former president. This was unwise and waste of tax payer's monies.”

The false report had also claimed that “Lordina Mahama’s involvement in the party's affairs was a major factor,” and added, “She arrogated to herself some powers she did not have. Her control over appointments was a disaster.”

Interestingly, the committee is still soliciting views from the various constituencies and is due to meet party members in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in Accra.

A notice signed by Dan K. Narh, Constituency Secretary asked, “Constituency Executives, Branch Executives, Polling Agents, Candidates who lost National Election, Candidates who lost Parliamentary Primaries, Candidates who lost Regional Executive Elections, Candidates who lost Constituency Executive Elections,”  to meet at  Alhaji Moro Baba Issah's Hall (Kawukudi) on April 5, 2017 at 10 am.

The notice pointed out, “The Committee will meet 50 from the Constituency,” adding that “All those willing to meet the Committee should kindly submit their names to the Secretary by 4th April, 2017.”

It (Committee) has been having torrid times in some constituencies as it continues to do its work.

Some agitated party foot soldiers continue to vent their spleen on their executives who have participated in the Committee’s meetings, often disrupting some of the programmes.

WE’RE NOT FROM OTUAM – CADMAN MILLS

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Monday, April 03, 2017

Dr Cadman Mills, brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, has described as ‘legend’ claims that their family hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region.

He said the Atta Mills family has always been in Cape Coast, adding that during the funeral of the late president, a ‘borrowed’ family was created for them in Otuam but could not mention who had created it.

“There is this legend that former President Mills comes from Otuam, it’s probably true, I don’t know, but the first time I heard of this legend was when I was about 60 years old,” he told Starr FM in Accra on Thursday.

The circumstances under which former President Mills died on July 24, 2012 became a taboo subject when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in power, but the mystery seems to be unraveling itself since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over power on January 7 after resoundingly defeating the NDC in the 2016 general election.

Borrowed Family

Dr. Cadman Mills, an economist, said the NDC government rather dealt with the ‘borrowed’ family in Otuam during the funeral instead of the real family in Cape Coast, and did not understand why the supposed family in Otuam took the  decision of exhuming his brother’s body from the ‘Asomdwoe’ Park near the Osu Castle, where the late Prof. Mills had been buried, to Otuam.

“I have lived that long without knowing that I had any links in Otuam; I am telling you this. I did some research on it, and I was told that somewhere when he (Prof. Mills) was filing his nomination papers, he put there that he hails from Otuam or something like that.”

He said, “What is most scandalous is that perhaps Bola Ray (interviewer) believes former President Mills comes from Otuam. When he died, you knew that he had siblings, so they also must come from Otuam, at least ask us to lead you to the family in Otuam.”

Twin Brothers

Dr. Cadman Mills continued that “out of nowhere, I mean we Ghanaians can be very bold, people I don’t know from Adam, I never heard of become my family heads and my family,” adding “They even published pictures of the twins, President Mills and I."

“They invented a family for me. Ever since I was born, I was told that we come from Cape Coast. I thought maybe it was political because nobody comes from Cape Coast. So that is why it was necessary for Prof Mills to do that, if he indeed did that, to put another town Otuam, as his home town or where he hails from. The real family is in Cape Coast,’ he disclosed.

Curiously, Dr. Cadman Mills’ latest declarations run contrary to the NDC’s campaign that the late president hailed from Otuam and even prepared documentaries to that effect.

Cadman said that his father’s brother married a woman at Otuam and said that there are Atta Millses there, insisting, “My mother doesn’t come anywhere from Otuam.”

Total Neglect

He also claimed that the NDC government treated the family of the late president shabbily and said the family was yet to know the entitlements of Prof. Mills under Article 71.

“As far as the government is concerned, and I make no difference from the NDC or NPP, they have treated President Mills shabbily,” Dr. Cadman Mills said, adding, “Up till this day nobody has called me to say your brother died in office and according to this report your brother is entitled to this or that.”

DAILY GUIDE sources say the late Prof Mills’ wife, Ernestina Naadu Mills, has reportedly been given a house in a plush area of Accra as part of the late president’s entitlements as public office holder.

He admitted that he was aware government was taking care of Mrs. Naadu Mills as a former first lady and that she was getting something - she has security in her house and other things but the family was not formally aware of anything of that sort.

Besides, he said even though the family has not formally been informed, he also heard the government rented an apartment for Samuel Atta Mills [Kofi Sam], the late president’s only son, but as of now, the family has not been informed whether or not Professor Mills was entitled to something.