Party Colours Of UPP Trigger NPP�s Curiosity (Photos)

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) says it has evidence that the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is sponsoring another political party, the United Progressive Party (UPP) formed in 2012 by Akwasi Addai Odike.

NPP Communications Director, Nana Akomea, says it has a recording disclosing that the NDC would be advancing huge monies to the UPP.

The party colours of the UPP was the first to trigger the NPP’s curiosity about a conspiracy, the NPP explained at a press conference in Accra Tuesday. 

The UPP colours, Mr Akomea said bears a close resemblance to that of the NPP. Weaving the conspiracy further, Nana Akomea wants to know “why would a new political party chose its colours so closely to another political party?".

Answering his rhetorical question, Nana Akomea says it is about “confusing supporters”.

Divulging a transcript of the audio recording as evidence of the parties collusion, Nana Akomea quoted Odike saying “Very soon they will bring me the money for the work and we will recover the cost. Don’t rush the money will come very soon”.

He expressed worry that the governing party would invest taxpayer’s money to fund smaller parties as a strategy to chip away NPP support ahead of the November 2016 elections.

However, the founder of the UPP has not taken kindly to the accusation. 

He says the NPP's claim is “a machination to destroy my hard-earned reputation”.

Serving his version of a conspiracy theory, Odike says the NPP has paraded people purported to be UPP party members to denounce him as their flagbearer.

“ What kind of politics is this” a bemused Odike charged.

In an attempt to point out differences between the two party’s logo, Odike said the emblem of the NPP is very different from the UPP.

“They don’t have black. Our symbol is a clock and their’s is an elephant. They are rather confusing me”.

According to Odike, his party lost 1,000 votes during the Talensi bye-election as a result of a confusion of the logos. The NPP claims of financial sponsorship, he suggested, was preposterous because despite being a small party Odike said he holds the hope that the party can shock the two dominant ones and win the general elections.



“Will I be a fool enough to say because I have won the elections the NPP or NDC should come and take over?” the exchange of rhetorical questions continued.

He explained that the NPP had the chance to challenge his logo and colours when he was registering the UPP and wondered why the NPP had waited all this while to raise issues with his party’s colours.

“They were fighting Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong… attacking left right and center” he said, ciriticising the NPP for descending into internal party bickering.

He advised the NPP to “go to president Kufuor [the first NPP president] and learn how to campaign”. 

Odike vowed to resist the attempt to deny him the right to use his party’s colours.

“Once it has been accepted by the EC whether they like it or not, we are going to use it”.

Nonetheless, he opened a window of opportunity for dialogue with the NPP if it would refrain from using the media to attack his party.