Sir John’s funeral: Akufo-Addo, Bawumia, others attended only the burial – NPP Executive

• Sam Pyne has defended the non-adherence to coronavirus protocols at Sir John's funeral

• He says President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo should not be held liable for the breaches

• He says the President attended the burial not the funeral of Sir John

Samuel Pyne, the Ashanti Regional General Secretary of the ruling

Read full articleNew Patriotic Party, NPP, has said that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his appointees attended only the burial and not the entire funeral of the late NPP General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie.

He therefore avers that the president cannot be held accountable for breaches of the coronavirus protocols.

Sam Pyne explained in a Neat FM interview that President Akufo-Addo and his appointees were present at the burial service and not the funeral where the alleged breaches occurred.

He added that government had made provisions for the adherence to laid down protocols and even distributed face masks and sanitizers to the mourners.

He however asserted that he could not confirm that the viral pictures and videos from the funeral were indeed from the event as he, like most party and government functionaries, were not present at the funeral.

“I wasn’t at the funeral and president was not at the funeral. We came for the burial service. It’s a matter for all of us to talk about. Government in its own way made provisions for the adherence of the protocols.

“90% of government officials who went there attended the burial service and not the funeral and before the burial everything (protocols) was followed. I wasn’t at the funeral so I can’t speak on it. I know of people who went for the funeral because Sir John had a lot admirers,” he added.

Some Civil Society Organizations have flared up over the sheer disregard for protocols are the funeral of the late NPP bigwig.

The Ghana Medical Association, GMA, in a strongly-worded statement condemned the behavior of government officials who watched on as the protocols were thrown to the dogs.

“The memories of the catastrophic consequences of the surge in COVID-19 cases in January - February 2021 including that of many lives lost and the pressure our healthcare system came under during the surge is fresh on our minds,” GMA said in a statement signed by its President Dr Frank Ankobea and General Secretary Dr Justice Yankson.

“The GMA condemns such activities that violate our protocols and has the tendency to reverse all the gains made in our fight against Covid-19.

“We call on the law enforcement agencies to investigate and deal with the organisers of this and any similar events to serve as a deterrent to others who intend to endanger the public health of our nation.”