Mills Is Dangerous- NPP

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has taken a swipe at the Mills administration, accusing it of creating a dangerous environment in the country and describing last Wednesday as a shameful day in the history of the rule of law in the country. The party�s reaction emanates from the arrest and charging of Kennedy Agyapong at various courts last Wednesday after a four-day ordeal in the hands of the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI). The statement signed by the party chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, noted that knowing well that the magistrate had no jurisdiction to hear the matter, the police brought the �prisoner� there only to request the court to remand him in police custody in order to �teach him a lesson�. For the party, �the treason charge leveled against Mr Agyapong can be described only as a mockery of the law being perpetrated for reckless partisan advantage�. The NPP pointed out that the arrest, detention and prosecution of Mr Agyapong were, in its view, not because the government was genuinely concerned about the use of intemperate language�which had been actively used by some of its own supporters in this heated election cycle with no consequences brought to bear. Continuing, the party stated that the arrest of the leading member of the NPP was purely to put the fear of the �Asomdwehene� in the NPP- to intimidate and cow the leadership into submission and to punish Mr Agyapong for leading the crusade on the single biggest corruption scandal in the history of Ghana- the unlawful payments to Alfred Agbesi Woyome- and other equally dubious multi-million dollar judgment debts made by the Mills-Mahama government mainly to its major financiers. The nature of the selective justice being displayed under the law professor, President Mills, the NPP stressed, was unprecedented in the history of the Fourth Republic, adding, �Ghanaians can judge for themselves why the two Ministers of State directly and actively responsible for making these corrupt payments, Dr Kwabena Duffuor, the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, and Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, the former Attorney General and Minister of Justice, have not been charged for this unprecedented fraud against the Ghanaian people.� President Mills, the NPP said, was neck-deep in this whole judgment debt saga and he might soon have to answer impeachment questions on these very serious charges, which were supported by considerable evidence. After warning the NPP after its successful regional rally at Mantse Agbona, the party stated, the Director of Operations at the Office of the President, who also happens to be the President of the Association of Weightlifters in Ghana, had always been known for his incendiary political statements. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, the party added, became more specific and vitriolic towards the NPP and unleashing machomen on NPP supporters and on ordinary, innocent Ghanaians in the constituency he was campaigning as the NDC Parliamentary Candidate. The party lamented that Nii Lantey had not been questioned once by the police even though in his case, he evidently followed his threat of violence with acts of violence committed in his name by his supporters and hired thugs. The NPP referred to his earlier threat when he said that, �I swear to you that the NPP can never organize any rally in Odododiodio in the near future, if that is their mission. The only place that will be safe for them (to hold their rally) will be in space, and not in my constituency.� It is in the context of the ongoing violent incidents during the biometric registration that Mr Agyapong spoke last Friday, the party stressed, adding that �in the interest of peace and unity, the NPP believes that he should not have allowed himself to be provoked into making any intemperate remarks. Our own flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, has repeatedly called for vigilance and courage but also calm and peace throughout the past few years, even as NDC intimidation tactics have mounted.� The treason charge slapped on the MP, the NPP observed, was a diversionary tactic by what it said was a failing, incompetent and corrupt government that had lost touch with the concerns of the ordinary people of Ghana. �We have no doubt the case will be laughed out of court eventually but the President must be hoping Mr. Agyapong will be silenced by the trauma. Whatever your opinion of Kennedy Agyapong statements, he has done nothing to show that he has the capacity to levy war against his motherland,� the NPP said.