NPP Jumps To Defense Of Byan Acheampong

The ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has jumped to the defense of the Member of Parliament for Abefiti Constituency, Bryan Acheampong, after his “treasonable” comment that has received public backlash.

In a press statement dated April 10, the NPP gave interpretation to the comment which has received condemnation from a section of Ghanaians including the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

At a health walk organised by the NPP at Kwahu in the Eastern Region on Saturday, April 8th, 2023, Bryan who is also the Minister for Food and Agriculture is quoted to have said, “NDC party will collapse. If the NDC dares to use threats, violence and foolishness in the 2024 election, we will let them know we have the men. We will show them that we have the men. We have the men![He screamed to emphasize]. It will never happen that we, the NPP, will stand on a platform to hand over power to the NDC. It will never happen! We will make sure NPP remains in government at all costs”.

The NDC reacted by calling the comment “reckless and treasonable” and further called on the Ghana Police Service to arrest him.

But in the statement from the General Secretary of the NPP, Justin Kodua Frimpong, the NPP defended Bryan’s comment.

In its own version of interpretation, the NPP said, “Bryan Acheampong’s comment can only be interpreted to mean that the NPP, just as it has done in the past, is determined to do everything legally possible to win the 2024 general elections.”

According to the statement, the comment was meant to encourage supporters of the NPP whose spirit has been dampened by comments from some high-profiled NDCs over the 2024 general elections.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Hon Bryan Acheampong, was responding to the NDC’s perpetual flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, who had on many occasions described the 2024 general elections as one of “do or die” for the NDC. It is, in fact, a no secret that the NDC has always resorted to violence and intimidation against their opponents during the conduct of general elections, and this was summed up by their 2024 presumptive presidential candidate, John Dramani Mahama. He has stated emphatically that: “NDC has revolutionary root, and that when it comes to unleashing violence, nobody can beat us [NDC] in unleashing violence”.

“Other leading members of the NDC, including Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the National Chairman of the Party, have made similar threatening and malicious comments. Indeed, following his election as National Chairman, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah stated in his victory speech that, the NDC would fight the 2024 general elections to win a second Independence for Ghana, and that, they are prepared to sacrifice everything including lives for an NDC victory.

“It was in response to these myriads of reckless and treasonable comments from the NDC that Hon Bryan Acheampong gave encouragement to supporters of the NPP, who may feel intimated by the many threats coming from the NDC, that, under no circumstance should they feel intimated because the NPP has men of courage who can rise to the defence of our democracy and the 1992 Constitution of the Republic as enshrined in Article 3 of the Constitution.”

Source: opemsuo.com/Hajara Fuseini