Apologise for false claims - Rawlings to Amewu

Former President Jerry John Rawlings has demanded an apology from New Patriotic Party (NPP)'s Volta Regional Chairman for claiming Mr Rawlings helped the NPP win the 2016 presidential and Parliamentary.

Mr Rawlings described Mr. Amewu’s claims that he (Rawlings) contributed to the low turnout of voters in the Volta Region on Joy TV as “false and malicious claims”.

The governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) which describes the Volta Region as its World Bank where they garner lots of votes registered a low voter turnout in the December 7 polls.

According to Mr Amewu who thanked Mr Rawlings for the NPP’s victory, Mr Rawlings even called him when the results of the polls were trickling in.

But in a statement, the office of the former President said “To make such untruthful and absurd claims of a follow-up telephone call which can easily be verified is foolhardy, imprudent, unbecoming of a political actor who is supposed to lead with integrity and absolutely disrespectful to former President Rawlings".

The statement disclosed that Mr Rawlings had met Mr Amewu only once and this was when the NPP regional chairman led a delegation to pay a courtesy call on him after he was enstooled as the Nutsifafa Fiaga of the Anlo Traditional Area to call on him to stop alleged attempts by Togolese to vote in the December 7 polls.

Mr Rawlings is therefore demanding an apology and retraction of the claims by Mr Amewu.

Read full statement below

PRESS RELEASE

December 20, 2016

NPP CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENTS ON FORMER PRESIDENT RAWLINGS FALSE

The office of former President Jerry John Rawlings has noted with utter disgust and disappointment the false and malicious claims made by the Volta Regional Chairman of the N.P.P. Mr. John Peter Amewu.

In an interview broadcast on Joy News TV on the 15th of December, 2016, and later carried by other affiliate news portals, the N.P.P. chairman sought to create the impression of a rapport between himself and the former President without recourse to any form of decency. Amongst other things Mr. Amewu stated “I want to say a big thank you to him (President Rawlings). Even on the night of elections when the results were coming in, he did call”.

For the records the former President has met and talked to Mr. Amewu only once in his lifetime. This encounter which was at the full glare of the media took place when he led the Volta Regional executives to pay a courtesy call on the former President after he was enstooled as the Nutsifafa Fiaga of the Anlo Traditional Area. The purpose of the visit was to lodge a complaint about the alleged attempts by non-Ghanaians across the Ghana-Togo border to vote in the just ended Ghanaian presidential and parliamentary elections. In a very brief response the former president informed the group that their concerns would be forwarded to the appropriate quarters.

To make such untruthful and absurd claims of a follow up telephone call which can easily be verified is foolhardy, imprudent, unbecoming of a political actor who is supposed to lead with integrity and absolutely disrespectful to former President Rawlings.

The office therefore demands an apology and retraction of the said falsehood in the same manner and prominence such false claims were carried.

Signed:

Kobina Andoh Amoakwa
(Communications Directorate)