Retired police officer, COP Alex Mensah, has denied ever accusing Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia of bribing New Patriotic Party delegates in the Bekwai constituency of the Ashanti Region ahead of the 27 January 2024 parliamentary primary.

In a statement, COP Mensah said: “I have not made any allegation against the Vice President as being purported by some unscrupulous people or group of people with derivative motives, who are obviously seeking to malign and impugn my candidacy to project and advance their political manoeuvrings in the run-up to the 27th primaries where delegates will freely choose who best fits to lead the party as a parliamentary candidate”.

COP Mensah explained: “The fact is that a police vehicle with registration number GE 7243-19 was released from the police headquarters and sent to the Bekwai constituency for a so-called special exercise. It was driven by Inspector Kwakye, who is the IGP’s driver with one Nana Osei Afrifa”.

The statement added that both Inspector Kwakye and Nana Osei Afrifa “held a meeting with the delegates at the Alpha Guest House opposite Bekwai SDA SHS where they made their intentions of their visit known to the delegates”.

“Nana Osei Afrifa, who co-hosted the meeting with Inspector Kwaakye, categorically told the delegates that they had been sent by the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, to inform the delegates that he, the vice President, was looking forward to working with a younger person who is ICT-compliant”, he noted.

“According to him, the Vice President, therefore, wanted delegates to vote massively for Layer Ralph Opoku-Adusei, who is one of the four aspirants in the race in the upcoming primaries”, COP Mensah clarified.

He continued: “Having made their intentions known, they allegedly paid an amount of GHS1,000 to each of the delegates who took part in the meeting and indicated clearly that the money was given to them to be paid by the Vice President in support of Opoku-Adusei’s bid”.

“There is an audio clip which was recorded during a meeting on which they could be heard loud and clear detailing why they were there, who sent them, and who gave them the money to be paid as bribes as well as the reasons for same”, he continued.

COP Mensah, therefore, denied being the originator of the allegation.

“I, therefore, want to state categorically that I have never mentioned anywhere that the Vice President sent the driver of IGP Dampare to Bekwai to bribe delegates. The statement was emphatically made by Nana Osei Afrifa who came to Bekwai by the said police car with Inspector Kwakye, who is the IGP’s driver, under the guise of a special exercise during the vetting of the aspirants”.

“It will, therefore, be weird if any person or group of people leave Inspector Kwakye, who drives the IGP and his accomplice, Nana Osei Afrifa, out of this unfolding issue and rather make me a target. The audio clip is available while pictures of the vehicle as well as Nana Osei Afrifa, who was driven to Bekwai by Inspector Kwakye, who is IGP George Akuffo Damapre’s driver”, he stressed.

“The audio, which is readily available, could assist in any further investigations to authenticate the unwholesomeness of their own allegations”, the retired police officer said.

“Finally, I hereby further state categorically that the allegation that the vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia sent the IGP’s driver and Nana Osei Afrifa to pay money to delegates to support Ralph Opoku Adusei, did not emanate from me but was contained in an audio clip which was recorded during a meeting in Bekwai which had the IGP’s driver in attendance”.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THANK YOU for constantly reading stories on MyGhanaMedia.com, a news publishing website from Ghana. Kindly like, follow, comment, and SHARE stories on all social media platforms for more entertaining updates!