General News of Thursday, 17 May 2018
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
2018-05-17
Freddie Blay is Acting National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP)
Acting National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Freddie Blay continues to refute claims that his decision to purchase 275 buses for the party is an attempt to buy votes from delegates in the ensuing National Executives election.
With the elections barely two months away, the move to spearhead the purchasing of buses has been heavily backlashed by some political commentators and the Ghana Integrity Initiative, describing it as vote-buying.
The Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) has since appealed the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Economic and Organised Crimes Office (EOCO) to probe the acting National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, in connection with some 275 buses he intends gifting to his party.
But Mr. Blay who was speaking on TV3’s ‘New Day’ denied the allegations, arguing that he could have secured a couple of millions of Cedis to “buy vote” if that was his intention rather than procuring the 275 buses which is far more capital intensive.
“The 275 will not harm anybody’s cause, it’s not just for the delegates but the constituencies as well. If I’m seeking to influence the delegates then why not? I can use a little portion of the money I will use to buy the buses to do that assuming if that was my intention. If it’s a question of buying votes, why do I need to go and get facility worthy many millions; why don’t I go just for a couple of millions to do that,” he said.
Mr. Blay insisted that his intentions were in the best interest of the NPP even at the grassroots level, adding that he is only doing that to help resource the party.
Speaking to TV3’s Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah, Mr. Blay assured that the buses will be made available before the Delegates Conference which has been rescheduled for July, 7, 2018 in Koforidua.
Meanwhile, candidates vying for various executive positions in the NPP are supposed to be vetted from today, May 17, until Thursday, May 24, 2018.
But sources at the NPP office say the party’s election committee will rather meet today to discuss the vetting process.
At the close of nominations, 43 aspirants had submitted their forms at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra, with three – a vice chairman and two youth organizer aspirants – being unable to meet the deadline.