Alhaji Short who seemed not happy with the allegation and reference to him as not known has through his campaign spokesperson Mr Kwabena Marfo responded and debunked that notion.
In a radio interview monitored by Graphic Online on Accra based Class FM Monday evening, Mr Kwabena Marfo said the issue of the audio recording came to the attention of the Alhaji Short campaign team more than three weeks ago and they initially decided not to comment on it.
However, “For a couple of days now, a lot of people have been asking us [Short team] that listen, Mr Ntim has been calling us (NPP supporters) on one on one, saying the President has asked him to step down for Alhaji [Short] who is not known well in this party.
“Most of the time when they call, I don’t comment on it and I tell them that is ok, just leave it how it is,” Mr Marfo added.
He however insisted that Alhaji Short was a “mature politician… who is more known than Stephen Ntim in this party. Stephen just joined us in 96. When we started NPP ask Stephen Ntim, where he was, wasn’t he in Canada? ’92 Alhaji Abubakar Abdul-Raman was with us, he organised the party in Upper West even then for the late Prof Adu Boahen, so how could you say this man is not known in the party.”
Asked whether President Akufo-Addo has indeed asked certain people vying for some positions in the party to step down for others to go ahead, Mr Marfo said he would not know about that.
“That I don’t know, that I can’t know because I had not been sitting in front of the President and he calling other people to step down, so if you ask me that, my brother, I can’t give any specific answer on that. What I know is about Alhaji Abubakar Abdul-Raman, Alhaji Short.”
He said President Akufo-Addo was a democrat and “he believes in democracy… lets go and let the masses chose the popular amongst them, he believes in that so when people are making those statements that the President has asked them to step down, well I haven’t heard directly from the President so I can’t talk anything about it.”
When he was asked to comment on speculations that Alhaji Short was President Akufo-Addo’s favourite, Mr Marfo responded: “Listen, Alhaji Short has been in this party since 92 and he has been contesting seriously in Upper West and whoever stands with him or contest with him, he makes sure he wins that person so why is he coming into the national and he doesn’t want anybody to contest him, my brother.
He said Alhaji Short was not the loud type and it was his intention to turn the second strongest hold [Northern Ghana] of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) into an NPP strong hold..
He added that through his effort, Upper West has been able to “win 5 strong Parliamentary seats and added more votes to the Presidential, these are the kind of people we need”
“He told Paul Afoko he was going to win and win massively, look at what happened in Tamale, even Paul Afoko who knew nothing about politics, who came in and win over him
By: Graphic.com.gh