A former Presidential staffer in the John Mahama administration, Dr. Clement Apaak, has disclosed that his government ordered some 43 new vehicles few days before leaving office upon the request of the incoming Akufo-Addo government.
The Mahama government has been accused of procuring 43 new vehicles for the presidency four days before leaving office at a cost of over nine million dollars.
But speaking on Citi FM’s news analysis programme, The Big Issue on Saturday, Dr. Apaak insisted that they did nothing untoward.
“It’s indeed true that the said vehicles were ordered, but the request was made to our side during the transition. So if indeed the vehicles have been procured, I can say on authority that it was part of the request which was made by the incoming government,” he added.
Dr. Apaak, who is also the Member of Parliament for the Builsa South constituency on the ticket of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), further argued that they couldn’t have on their own accord, procure the vehicles for another person’s to use.
He added that, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), would be compelled to release documentary evidence if they feel victimized by the current government because they believe there was “nothing fishy” in the deal.
“ . . What would have been the motivation to place an order for these vehicles for use by the office of the president? I don’t want to mention names but I know that in the coming days if this issue of trying to make sure that governance is a continuum at the request of an incoming government is used to try and tag our government as corrupt, we will have no choice but to provide documentary proof to confirm the fact that this request was made during the transition process by the current government. So there is nothing fishy about it and I think the timing itself should make Ghanaians know that it wasn’t President Mahama who was going to be in office after January 7th so what was the need to procure this kind of vehicles when we were leaving office?”
Dr. Apaak also noted that, the NDC government at the time acceded to the request by the NPP because they felt that the security of the incoming president was very important.
“The security of the president is very important and if a request had been made that those vehicles be procured for use by the incoming government and that was done, I don’t see why we should quibble about it,” he added.
Apaak’s claims untrue
Meanwhile, the NPP MP for the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency, Emmanuel Agyarko, who was also on the programme, refuted Dr. Apaak’s claims.
He said “as far as I know, nobody from the current government asked for any vehicle . . . Why would this government ask the previous one to procure vehicles when they were about to take over?”
Vehicles in limbo
Documents sighted by Citi News reveal that, the contract was awarded by the erstwhile government on the 3rd of January, 2017, to Amalgamated Security Services LTD for the purchase of 43 vehicles for the Presidency.
However, the contract is in limbo following a recent moratorium placed on the purchase of new vehicles by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo–Addo.
The President, in March 2017, banned the purchase of new cars until further notice.
Checks by Citi News revealed that the said vehicles have already been purchased and are currently in Dubai.
There are fears government could pay a judgement debt if it cancels the contract.
Source: The Herald
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This man thinks Ghanaians eat from the wrong side of our mouth? NPP asked NDC to buy the cars? that really sounded very right!!! we have learned our lessons ooooo, yes we have.
People like Apaak are the reason Ghana has failed under the bad leadership of John Mahama. What kind of excuse and explanation is this? No one believes the outgoing NDC govt ordered the vehicles as a goodwill for the incoming NPP administration. It is part of chop-chop. Cancel the contract, judgement debt or not! And prosecute the NDC govt functionaries who are behind it.
Dr Apaak is a chronic liar and a disgrace to intellectual fraternity. Its only in NDC that you can find such species.
NPP and Nana Addo must be careful about the way they are allowing the NDC to distract the govt from carrying out the important issues of national development. Everyday, we hear something caused by the NDC to create diversion from serious things to stupppid things. It is getting too much!!
Why can't some of us stop the name calling and insults? We are a people who jump into name calling and insults whenever an issue pops up, and when the real truth is out we switch to another argument. Please stop it!
I strongly believe this Apaak guy used someone else's thesis for his PhD. Some investigations would be in order. The man can really lie. This is the same person who came out to say that the vice presidential residence that the NDC began putting up is costing the state some $5m when indeed the building's cost is around some $14m. Its so sad that such pathological lairs are called honorable men. NPP wins power and they ask lazy minds and mediocre people like Apaak to order cars for them? This is just like performing so well at vetting and having the majority to pass you and yet, an I-D-I-O-T comes out to say you attempted bribing the vetting committee to pass you. A lying brigade. AN EXTREMELY CORRUPT PARTY.
See Apaak's face like a rocky terrain. He is so dumb that he thinks we all can't identify lies when we see one. Who in his right senses will request a corrupt infested administration like the NDC to purchase any items for them? Simple bus branding kraa the NDC could inflate the price by multiples....how much more this huge deal? No wander Rawlings is boiling. People will go to jail by all means!
I get so disillusioned by these so called educated people who think just by the mere fact of having an education and an academic title, makes them so smart and sensible that the general populace are so thick to see through their lies and greed. Apaak, you are a big fat liar and a f000000l. May God richly pun1sh you for attempting to throw dust in our eyes.
You see the face of a pathological liar ?Any one with brains should at least be able to tell a more believable lie.Why would an incoming government ask an out-going government to procure vehicles for use by its officers,knowing that as usual the NDC would inflate the prices? I believe what must have happened is that the vehicles were ordered a long time ago and the kleptomaniac president had already taken his cut.These are not ordinary vehicles and it takes time to put in all the specs.And if I may ask why is it that with the NDC under Mahama Ghana's business deals all end up in Dubai?Mr Rawlings should have added that if a creature like Mahama had been around during the revolutionary days he would probably have shot him 10 times over.
WHEN WILL NDC STOP THESE LIES. IT APPEARS ITS MEMBERS SWEAR AN OATH TO TELL LIES BEFORE THEY ARE ADMITTED INTO THE PARTY. THEY SHOULD NOT THINK GHANAIANS ARE FULLS AS THEY CONSIDER US TO BE. THEIR TACTICS IN POLITICS HAVE BEEN OVER FLOGGED AND WILL NO LONGER BE TAKEN ON LINE, HOOK AND SINKER AS IT DID FOR THEM IN THE PREVIOUS ELECTIONS. THEY BETTER RE-STRATEGIZE FOR NOW AND FUTURE. IT IS ONLY THE TRUTH AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH THAT WILL HELP THEM.