Akufo-Addo: I Cannot Sack Nana Akomea

The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has indicated that he cannot take disciplinary action against Nana Akomea, the party's Communications Director, because his party�s structures do not permit him to do so unilaterally. There has been a major hue and cry in the country following a heated exchange of unsavoury language between the NPP spokes person and deputy Tourism Minister, James Agyenim-Boateng during a radio discussion over the weekend. Both men have since refused to apologise for their behavior unless the other apologises first, leading to calls for their dismissal by Nana Akufo-Addo and President Mills respectively. Speaking in an interview on Joy FM from the Volta region where he is visiting victims of the recent floods, Nana Akufo-Addo stated: �First of all, I do not have the power to remove him. Our party does not work that way just because I�m its presidential candidate. �In any case, reports reaching me suggest that Nana Akomea seems to be the victim rather than the aggressor. I mean, whenever things like this happen, we ought to look at the genesis of the matter instead of adopting a moral relativity between the people involved�. Nana Akufo-Addo expressed surprise at the Okaikoi South MP�s reported angry outburst, saying it was common knowledge that the NPP spokesman was a more composed and controlled public speaker whose aggravation came to bare possibly because he had been provoked. Commenting on upcoming celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, Nana Akufo-Addo who piloted the repeal during his tenure as Attorney General and Minister of Justice, said he was looking forward to participating in the events, since he was instrumental in the passing of the law. �Ironically, I had to fly out to South Africa to speak on the very matter of the outlawing of the Criminal Libel Law on a symposium organized many months before, where I was one of the resource persons at the University of Pretoria. So I hope to be in Accra soon to take part in the celebrations�.