Aide: Akufo-Addo Won’t Disobey SC Verdict

The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has never given the slightest indication that he will not accept the outcome of the election petition, his aide Mustapha Hamid says. Mr. Hamid’s comment comes in the wake of President John Mahama’s advice to Ghanaians to prepare their minds to accept whichever verdict is pronounced by the Supreme Court. Mustapha Hamid told Radio XYZ’s ‘Strict Proof’ news magazine programme on Monday July 22, 2013 that just like President Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo has, on several occasions indicated his readiness to accept the Supreme Court verdict. He also noted that Nana Akufo-Addo’s intervention to forestall mayhem by his supporters at the Kwame Nkrumah circle shortly after the 2012 presidential poll results were declared is ample evidence that he is committed to ensuring peace in the country. According to him, Nana Akufo-Addo’s decision to fight the matter in court rather than on the streets “implies that he has confidence in the Court” and therefore has “no choice” than to accept the Supreme Court ruling. “…He will accept it and all of us as Ghanaians have no choice, we will accept whatever the Court says”, Mr. Hamid stressed. He added that Nana Akufo-Addo will not organise a press conference with the sole purpose of announcing that he will accept the verdict of the Court because he has made such comments on several national and political platforms. He says the former Attorney-General is likely to cease any future opportunity to stress his readiness to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court. “Once there is an opportunity in the next few days or weeks or whatever, Nana Addo will continue to make that point”.

Source: Radioxyzonline.com

IGP to appear before Defense and Interior Committee of Parliament

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan is expected to appear before the Parliamentary Select Committee of Defense and Interior to brief the committee on police preparations for maintaining the peace after the Supreme Court’s verdict on August 15, 2013.

The Supreme Court just finish taking evidence in the Presidential Election Petition filed by the NPP 2012 Flag bearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his running mate, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and party Chairman Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey. 

The petitioners are challenging the authenticity of the election results used by the Electoral Commission to declare John Dramani Mahama President of the country.

Some pundits have said whatever the outcome of the case, the country would never be the same; whatever that means. Meanwhile, some men of God have given prophecies to the effect that, but for much prayer, the country could face grave instability after the verdict. 

Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Defense and Interior, George Kofi Arthur told Adom News the committee had already met with the Minister of the Interior on the preparedness of the various security agencies for the verdict. 

“The committee met with the Minister of Interior but this meeting is to enable the IGP tell us general preparations towards the delivery of the verdict,” he said. 

He added that the IGP will be required to give the level and status of peace in the country currently and how peace will be maintained after the verdict is delivered.

“The IGP told the Committee earlier that they have had to suspend major activities like recruiting new officers all in a bid to prepare for the verdict,” he said

According to him, the court case is preventing investors from investing in Ghana, adding that it is the Committee’s responsibility to ensure that the peace being enjoyed in the country is solid as ever.

Hon. George Arthur told Adom News that the Committee will endeavor to block all the lapses together with the police.

Clement Humado, Abuga Pele, Alhaji Yakubu 'fingered' in GYEEDA report

The Ministerial Committee set up to investigate the activities of GYEEDA, has fingered three government officials and wants them to answer significant questions in the award of contracts it says, lack transparency.

The immediate past Minister of Youth and Sports, Clement Kofi Humado; immediate past National Coordinator of GYEEDA, Abuga Pele; and the Chief Director of the Youth and Sports Ministry, Alhaji Abdulai Yakubu are the topmost officials mentioned in the report as having questions to answer.

According to the report, the committee could not lay hands on contracts awarded between 2006 and 2009. It therefore based its scrutiny mainly on contracts signed between 2009 and 2012.

The committee said these officials “have significant questions to answer on the operations of GYEEDA particularly during the time of their mandate.”

The report says Mr. Humado and the Chief Director need to explain the “lack of any transparency in the choice of service providers, the award of contracts and the visible breaches of the 1992 Constitution, the Public Procurement Act, the Internal Revenue Act and the Financial Administration Act.”

They must also explain why they approved “significant sums in interest free loans without parliamentary approval.”

The committee also questions what it calls “hasty signing of numerous contracts” between 12th December 2012 and 31st December 2012.

Abuga Pele, the report says, needs to explain why he witnessed “numerous contracts between 12th December 2012 and 31st December 2012 as the National Coordinator when he had at the time resigned.”

The Committee also wants Mr Pele to explain why he approved “payments of over $2.3m to Goodwill Consulting Limited for no work done” as well as “the lapse in leadership and effective management of modules during his tenure".

Unlike the junior officials of GYEEDA who have been specifically cited for prosecution, the committee is not explicit on what should be done to Mr Humado, Abuga Pele and the Alhaji Abdulai Yakubu.

But the first recommendation in the executive summary of the report states that “all cases of the violation of the laws of Ghana, particularly, in the contracting and procurement processes are referred to the Office of the Attorney General and Minister for Justice for necessary action.”