The General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, says the umbrella family is more than satisfied with the sentencing of its former Member of Parliament (MP) for Chiana-Paga, Abuga Pele, for causing financial loss to the state and would not in any way, grants him Presidential Pardon should the party wins power in 2020.
According to the NDC Chief Scribe, it was the umbrella family that initiated investigation and prosecution of Mr. Pele as part of its strategy to rid the country of corruption and therefore, would be absurd to turn around and release him from prison.
“We wish to remind Ghanaians that the investigation and prosecution of Honourable Abuga Pele was initiated by the NDC as part of our strategy to rid the country of corruption, and this strategy involves measures to prevent corruption and how to deal with corruption when it has already occurred. They include exposure, investigation, prosecution and punishment of corruption”.
“It will therefore be absurd that after a successful conviction has been achieved in this particular case, the initiator will turn around to free any person who has been convicted as a result”, he said in a statement released in Accra to counter the comments of the party’s MP for Odododiodoo, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye that the party has resolved to win the general elections in 2020 and ensure the release of former NDC MP, Abuga Pele.
Speaking on the sidelines of the NDC Unity Walk in Eastern Region at Somanya over the weekend, Nii Lantey Vanderpuye who’s also the MP for Odododiodoo, said despite Mr. Pele’s incarceration, the party’s morale remains high ahead of the 2020 elections and will certainly win power.
“It is unfortunate but I can only say that this will not dampen the spirit of the NDC. Between 2001 and 2004, they sentenced Tsatsu Tsikata, Dan Abodakpi, Ibrahim Adam and Kwame Peprah. It did not stop us from winning elections in 2008. We are going to win the elections and bring Abuga Pele out.”
Abuga Pele, the former National Coordinator of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Agency (GYEEDA), was sentenced together with the Chief Executive Officer of Goodwill International Group, Philip Assibit, to a jail term of 6 and 12 years respectively for causing financial loss to the state.
The court also ordered the state to recover all assets and money belonging to the state from the convicts.
However, Mr. Nketiah in the statement said the MP’s sentiment does not reflect in any remotest sense the party’s position regarding the fight against corruption in the country on the matter involving the conviction of Mr. Abuga Pele, in particular.
