Former National Organizer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku, has called on flagbearer contender Dr Afriyie Akoto to provide the public with a list of contractors who, in his view, are not receiving payment from the government.

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Sammi Awuku expressed his astonishment at the remarks made by the ex-Minister of Food and Agriculture, in which he alleged that the government was neglecting contractors who have openly shown their allegiance to him.

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His statement follows Dr Afriyie Akoto's comments in which he criticized the government for failing to compensate contractors who are recognized for backing his aspiration as the prospective flagbearer of the NPP.

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Speaking in an interview with Oyerepa TV on Wednesday, August 23, 2023, the former National Organizer of the NPP challenged Dr Afriyie Akoto to release the list of contractors who have not been paid for declaring support for him.

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“When it comes to campaign issues of this sort, it is beyond me. First of all, I don’t know the particular contractors. secondly, I don’t work at the Ministry of Finance. I don’t want to believe Dr. Afriyie Akoto said that [ gov’t not saying contractors supporting him]. I don’t have knowledge about what he said. I can't verify that there are contractors who are not being paid because of him.

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“In any case, do we have a list of Dr. Afriyie Akoto’s contractors? or a list of Kennedy Agyapong or Dr. Bawumia's contractors? So I want to see the list and follow up to find out why there are contractors for Alan, Dr. Bawumia, or Dr. Afriyie Akoto who have not been paid. With this, I am unable to find out because I don’t know where to tackle it. So maybe when I meet my uncle, Dr. Afriyie Akoto, I will ask for the details of the contractors and follow up with him. Once again, I do not want to believe he ever said that,” Sammi Awuku said in Twi on Oyerepa TV.

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Background

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Former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie AkotoNew Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has slammed the leadership of the party for failing to get a grip of happenings in the race to choose the party’s presidential candidate for 2024 elections.

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Speaking in a JoyNews interview, Dr Afriyie Akoto, a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, accused the party’s leadership of being partial in dealing with persons flouting the roles of the party; adding that the happenings in the campaign for the primaries tells that there is no discipline in the NPP.

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He said that while top officials of the party and the government are declaring their support for a certain contender without consequences, persons declaring their support for him and the other candidates are being punished.

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He alleged the contractors who are declaring their support for some of the candidates in the race are being denied payment.

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“There is some sort of force being used – intimidation… those contractors who do not seem to be for this candidate are not paid when they complete their jobs. And they have taken huge sums of money from the banks and the interest rates are 35%, 40%. They are not paid and are being punished for supporting someone else.”

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“But if somebody has done a job or a contract with the government, and they are not paid, while those who declare for that particular candidate are paid,” he said.

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