NPP Re-Election War: Kennedy Agyapong Votes $20m To Fight National Executives

Kennedy Agyapong, NPP MP for Assin-Central in the Central region disclosed that, in order to get the current national executives out of office for being a liability in the 2012 general elections, he is setting aside an amount of US$20million to canvass for votes against them. The current executives seeking re- election are, Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, the national chairman, lawyer Kwadwo Owusu- Afriyie, the general secretary, Fred Owari, first vice-national chairman now seeking for the national chairmanship position, Madam Esther Ofori, national treasurer, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba among others. Kennedy Agyapong, the CEO of Kencity Multimedia Limited has threatened fire and brimstone and has stated unequivocally that, if his plans to work against the current executives failed, he will form a party to break the party�s front. �These people who cannot raise money to organize regional or constituency elections cannot be our leaders, and if they are voted for I will give them a showdown,� he said. Speaking on Accra-based radio station Adom FM, the NPP lawmaker stated that he has no personal qualms with Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and the NPP, but explained that his concerns were that delegates should elect competent and resourceful people, who will be able to raise money to support the activities of die party. �I am not saying that they should use their personal money to support the party. What I am saying is that they should be able to raise money to support it. Today, they are all campaigning and how were thev able to raise money to campaign? Thev should do same for the part}*. Last Saturday, they could not raise money to pay for the delegates. I had to run to the Agricultural Development Bank (adb) to withdraw money to pay the delegates.� He continued, �I have said that about 80 per cent of businessmen within the party are waiting, and if these people are elected again they will not support the party." I know them,� he said. This, he underscored, was because businessmen have lost absolute confidence in the current executives and will not want to do anything with them. �I know about six solid people who have lost confidence in the executives. These people have contributed significantly to the progress of the party,� he said. Indicating that he is ever-ready to die for the NPP, Kennedy Agyapong stressed, �You wait, at the appropriate time, I will give them a showdown. I will set aside US$20m. I am not talking about GHe20million, I am talking about US?20million to give them a showdown. I will form my own party after March 2 if they win,� he said. According to him, if he is a presidential candidate he will be able to �support every parliamentary candidate at least US$100,000 dollars.� What infuriated him, he said, were comments made by Mr Brian Acheampong, a party member who attempted to lead the party in the Suhum Constituency but was unsuccessful, and that of Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey. �How can you the chairman say that you don�t know people who contribute to the party? As for Brian Acheampong, he is just a small fly. How much money does he have? If they push you and you say all these things, then people will tell you that you should not discuss the matters in public but rather to discuss it internally. If they know how painful it is to contribute, they will not be saying that. They should come and contribute and if it happens like that, they should come and solve it internally.� He argued that the current executives have disappointed the party and cited Mr Dan Kwaku Botwe, the former General Secretary and now Member of Parliament for Okere constituency in the Eastern region and Mr Agyenim Boateng, as people who fought hard, organized and brought the party from opposition to government. Responding to whether he will appear before the disciplinary committee to explain himself over the allegations, he said he will only appear before the committee if the leadership of the party paid US$1.4rrtillion debt he owed a Chinese lady for the motorbikes he bought for the party. �I am not going to meet with anybody and if they like, they should sack me and I will give them a showdown. I am prepared to write to the Speaker of Parliament and resign, I am ready,� he dared. On why he has been quiet for some time now, he said, �I have been quiet because people like Rev. Asante Antwi spoke with me but I will continue to say what is right.� When the General Telegraph called Mr Agyapong yesterday afternoon for further clarification he said, he stood by whatever he had said on air at Adom Fm on the executive and that the paper was free to go ahead with a write-up on it. But in a fierce rebuttal, Mr Fred Oware, one of the executive members at the wrong end of the barrel of Agyapong�s gun has called the MP�s bluff saying if he thinks that the NPP is too small for him he could go ahead to form his own party. Speaking on Asempa Fm�s late afternoon political programme Ekosii Sen, Oware stated that it was time the party stamped its authority by punishing people whose actions and inactions tend to bring the name of the NPP into disrepute