Disown “Reckless” Kennedy Agyapong – Group Charges Akufo Addo

A pro-Government pressure group, Inside Ghana, has asked the main opposition New Patriotic Party’s 2012 presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo to openly condemn Assin Central MP, Kennedy Agyapong’s alleged incitement of the party’s youth to mayhem and bloodshed on the streets.

The group said: “We urge Nana Addo to come public and condemn this dishonourable act as a proof of his unflinching commitment to the democratization process”.

Mr Agyapong, according to the Daily Post newspaper incited the youth to violence on the streets by asking them to pour out in their numbers and sacrifice their blood, if need be, in their pursuit for justice as far as the main opposition New Patriotic Party’s quest to overturn the 2012 presidential election results is concerned.

“You the youth must defend yourself. Go out onto the streets and demonstrate,” the paper quoted the lawmaker as having said on his Madina-based TV station NET2 on Tuesday April 16, 2013 in Accra.

He is also quoted by the Paper to have incited them die for that cause saying: “Look the easiest death is for you the youth to go out there and die”.The party’s 2012 presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his running mate Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and the National Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey are currently in court seeking to invalidate the results of the presidential election.

The three petitioners argue that the governing NDC colluded with the Electoral Commission to manipulate the election results in favour of President John Mahama.

The substantive hearing of the matter at the Supreme Court started on Tuesday April 16, 2013.

However, Mr Kennedy Agyapong, according to the newspaper, is said to be baying for blood on the streets toward achieving the objective of the petitioners, for which the three politicians have resorted to the Supreme Court.

Inside Ghana, in a statement signed by three of its leaders including George Spencer Quaye said: “Inside Ghana has observed closely the smelly conduct of Hon. Kennedy Agyepong and would like to call on Nana Akufo-Addo and the two other petitioners, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumiah and Jake Obetsebi Lamptey as well as the New Patriotic Party hierarchy to distance themselves from the uncompromising war mongering statement made by their colleague”.

It said: “This comment as a matter of fact is a serious statement that can drive the whole country into a state of higgledy piggledy”, and recalled that: “Before the 2012 general election, this same Kennedy Agyapong incited his party supporters to lynch police personnel, and annihilate Ewes and the Gas in the Ashanti region”.

The group added that: “His utterances and conduct are scatterbrained, capricious, reckless, irresponsible, vile and vicious and this is unacceptable in a democracy”.

It warned that many such “reckless” statements will be encouraged if the security agencies did not make an example of Mr Kennedy Agyapong.

“The statement might have some underpinning element against the backdrop that other thoughtless and ill-considered statements from leading NPP members such as Ken Ofori Atta, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, Gabby Asare Otchere-Darko and Sammy Awuku have all escaped the attention of the security apparatus of the State”.

It noted that: “But for Budu Koomson of Imani Ghana, who was invited for interrogation by the National Security outfit for his unsavoury comments, these persons have gotten away with their war mongering chants. We therefore charge the security outfit to as a matter of urgency arrest Kennedy Agyapong for further investigation”.

It advised that just “as psychiatrists entreat the general public to voluntarily visit psychiatry hospital for tests, Inside Ghana would also recommend that such persons who have made such unguarded statements are advised by close relations to seek help from expert psychiatrists as the 2012 general election defeat could still be having a toll on some opposition members”.