Confusion rocks APC over endorsement

With less than nine days to the December 7, 2016 general election, the All People’s Congress (ACP) is embroiled in confusion as to which of the presidential candidates to endorse after its presidential aspirant was disqualified from contesting the presidential election.

While the party set today, Monday, November 28, 2016 to officially endorse one of the candidates, its General Secretary, Mr Razak Kojo Opoku, and the running mate to its disqualified flag bearer, Mr Emmanuel Carl Bartels, had gone ahead to announce their endorsement of the presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

“We strongly believe that only Nana Akufo-Addo can offer Ghanaians a more credible, incorruptible and transformational leadership than all the other presidential candidates contesting the 2016 general election,” they said.

Rebuttal

However, in a swift rebuttal, the Founder and Flag bearer of the party, Dr Hassan Ayariga, rubbished the claim of the APC endorsing Nana Akufo-Addo, stressing that the two were sacked from the party last Friday, November 25, 2016.

He explained that the two were sacked when the party had hint that they had gone to the NPP headquarters to confer with the leaders of that party against the views of the generality of the APC.

Dismissal infantile

Meanwhile, Mr Opoku has described the dismissal as an “infantile statement from a confused Ayariga because last Friday I went round distributing letters for the Monday, November 28, 2016 programme.”

“If he says I have been dismissed, the right thing he should have done is to communicate to Ghanaians. Why did he have to wait until today, Sunday? That means he is not thinking right,” Mr Opoku said.

He reminded Mr Ayariga that he (Ayariga) did not have the power to single-handedly dismiss any member of the party and urged him “to be serious”.

Referring to Article 12 and 14 (4) of the party’s constitution, he questioned Mr Ayariga as to when the party constituted the disciplinary committee that led to the supposed sacking of the two members.

He reminded Mr Ayariga that the APC was not a sole proprietorship and that the party did not have a founder but 216 district founding members.

Endorsement of NPP

 “We shall seriously campaign for victory for Nana Akufo-Addo and the NPP in the remaining days to the general election,” a statement jointly signed by Mr Opoku and Mr Bartels and read by Mr Opoku at a press conference in Accra said.

“This endorsement of Nana Akufo-Addo has become very necessary, considering the high level of incompetence, corruption, mismanagement of the economy, high rate of unemployment, killer taxes, collapse of private-sector businesses, high utility bills, nepotism, tribal politicking, etc. under the eight-year rule of John Mahama and his NDC,” it said.

It, therefore, entreated all APC members across the country to campaign vigorously and vote massively for Nana Akufo-Addo, whom it described as “the most credible presidential candidate for the 2016 presidential election.”

Nana Akufo-Addo’s policy

 The statement stated that Nana Akufo-Addo’s agenda for job creation was the only solution to the socio-economic challenges facing Ghana, adding: “Upon a sober reflection, we strongly believe in the one district, one factory; one village, one dam; one constituency, $1 million policies as doable and feasible.”

“However, we wish Mr Ayariga well for his personal decision to endorse John Mahama for the presidency at the Aviation Social Centre on November 28, 2016,” it said.

Quoting the Holy Bible to back their move, it said: “We are urging all Ghanaian voters to vote against the NDC and reject John Mahama, in accordance with Revelation 3:16,” he stated.

Describing Mr Ayariga as a joker, the statement wondered if he (Mr Ayariga) was able to interpret the constitution of his own party and challenged him to tell the whole world who was mandated to convene a congress of the party.

Propaganda

Mr Ayariga, however, urged the membership of the APC nationwide and the public to ignore what he described as “propaganda of the APC declaring support for the NPP”.

“The Founder and Leader, Mr Ayariga, with the National Executive Committee and the national delegates, will officially declare and endorse one among the seven presidential candidates tomorrow, November 28, 2016,” he stated in reaction to the said press conference by Mr Opoku and Mr Bartels.

“I don’t have a vice-presidential candidate. What we have now is the leader and founder of the APC and that is me. Mr Bartels and the General Secretary were relieved of their duties last Friday and they are aware of that and so they are not members of the APC,” he added.