The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has distanced itself from a statement made by Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo Constituency, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, suggesting that the party will free Abuga Pele if it wins the 2020 election.
An Accra High Court on Friday, February sentenced former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency [GYEEDA], Abuga Pele to six years imprisonment for willfully causing financial loss to the state.
The Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, was also a jailed 12 years for various offences .
Speaking to the media on Saturday on the sidelines of the NDC’s Unity walk in Somanya last Saturday, Nii Lante Vanderpuije said, “It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out,”
However, the NDC in a statement signed by Johnson Asiedu Nketia, General Secretary , stated that the said statement has created an unfortunate that the NDC will release Abuga Peleif the party succeeded in capturing power in 2020.
“The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC wishes to place on record that the sentiment expressed by the Honourable Member on the above sited statement do not reflect in any remotest sense the position of the party regarding the fight against corruption in the country on the matter involving the conviction of Honourable Abuga Pele in particular,” it assured.
Below is the full statement:
For immediate release
26/02/2018
MP’s SENTIMENT DOES NOT REFLECT NDC’s POSITION
A statement purported to have been made by National Democratic Congress, NDC Member of Parliament for Odododiodoo Constituency Honourable Nii Lantey Vanderpuye in an interview with a local radio station has widely been circulated in both print and electronic media.
In the said statement, an unfortunate impression has been created by the Honourable Member that the NDC will release Honourable Abuga Pele, the convicted former Member of Parliament for Chiana Paga from prison, if the party succeeded in capturing power in 2020.
It is called that Honourable Abuga Pele was sentenced to six years in prison for causing financial loss to the state.
The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the NDC wishes to place on record that the sentiment expressed by the Honourable Member on the above sited statement do not reflect in any remotest sense the position of the party regarding the fight against corruption in the country on the matter involving the conviction of Honourable Abuga Pele in particular.
We wish to remind Ghanaians that the investigation and prosecution of Honourable Abuga Pele was initiated by the NDC as part of our strategy to rid the country of corruption, and this strategy involves measures to prevent corruption and how to deal with corruption when it has already occurred. They include exposure, investigation, prosecution and punishment of corruption.
It will therefore be absurd that after a successful conviction has been achieved in this particular case, the initiator will turn around to free any person who has been convicted as a result.
We can understand the emotional trauma the family, friends and sympathizers of our former MP are going through at this critical moment. However, it is the belief of the leadership of NDC that in matters like this, the interest of the state cannot be subjected to individual or partisan interest.
We rather urge the current Nana Akufo Addo led – government to emulate this shining example of the Mahama administration and, muster enough courage to bring members of his government who have been accused of corrupt practices to justice instead of praising them and misleading Ghanaians that all his ministers and appointees are clean.
Signed
Hon. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
General Secretary, NDC
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com