Ayariga’s $6m comment was a ‘slip’ – APC

Mr Hassan Ayariga’s comment that he spent $6million on his campaign vehicles was a slip of tongue, General Secretary of the All People’s Congress (APC), Razak Poku has said.

The APC flag bearer, after he was disqualified by the Electoral Commission from participating in the December polls as a presidential aspirant angrily said he had spent $6million on his campaign vehicles alone and, therefore, accused the EC of being unfair to him.

The Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) upon hearing that Mr Ayariga had spent the said amount on his campaign wrote to him to demand his source of funding by close of Wednesday October 26.

Reacting to the invitation by EOCO on Inside Politics on Class 91.3FM on Monday October 24, Mr Poku said Mr Ayariga meant to quote the six million in cedis and not in dollars. According to him, quoting the money in dollars was a slip.

“When Dr Hassan Ayariga said the party had spent so much, the man wanted to say in cedis but just a slip of tongue. … That’s what I know as a fact. I’m the General Secretary of the party and I will tell you the facts…” he told show host Moro Awudu.

“When we went to Ashiaman and Dr Hassan Ayariga was saying PPP is contesting the election, APC is contesting, NPP is contesting, it was just a slip of tongue somewhere and he mistakenly said NDC we are contesting. It’s a slip of tongue, nobody is perfect, no matter what you can have a slip of tongue but when you have that slip of tongue, a sensible person will tell you that it was just an error, it was a mistake and this is what I intended to say and that is what I’m telling you that it wasn’t in dollars because in Ghana we don’t [spend] dollars, we [spend] cedis. So, Dr Hassan Ayariga as serious as he is, there is no way he will quote a foreign currency knowing very well in Ghana we don’t [spend] foreign currency but in Ghana we [spend] cedis, so everything he said it was in cedis but because he has lived outside for a very long time, sometimes he mistakenly quotes their currencies and because he also has businesses outside Ghana, sometimes he might mistakenly quote some of their currencies but he wanted to say cedis,” Mr Poku emphasised.

He, however, disclosed that the APC believes in strengthening state institutions and will not disrespect any state institution, therefore, the party will respond appropriately to EOCO and provide them with all the information they seek.