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Press Release
Office of Nana Akufo-Addo
October 08, 2014
Re: Akufo-Addo’s health alert
Once again, Ghanaweb has allowed its online
‘news’ outlet to be used to publish outright
lies about Nana Akufo-Addo, by reproducing a
story that was published on the front page
of one of Ghana’s ruling party’s propaganda
tabloids, the Republic, Monday, 7th October.
The following false claims were made in the
said publication:-
1) Claim: Nana Akufo-Addo’s health “may have
relapsed, sending worrying signals through
his campaign, the Republic newspaper has
gathered.”
Fact: Nana Akufo-Addo has suffered no health
relapse. He has been on the campaign trail
as scheduled in his bid to be elected the
2016 Presidential Candidate of the New
Patriotic Party on October 18, 2014. He
finished his campaign in the Brong Ahafo
Region on Monday and he is now in the
Ashanti Region, from where he will move to
the Eastern Region. The only worrying signal
must be in the camps of those who wish him
ill.
2) Claim: “Hints picked up by this newspaper
indicates that the over 75-year-old aspiring
presidential flagbearer of the NPP was last
Tuesday taken under medical observation at
the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.”
Fact (i): Nana Akufo-Addo is not 75 years
old; he is also not over 75. He celebrated
his 70th birthday last March and we thank
God for his life and well-meaning Ghanaians
continue to pray for long life for him,
knowing the plans he has for our dear
nation.
Fact (ii): Nana Akufo-Addo was not taken
last Tuesday to Korle Bu or any other
hospital for medical observation. That claim
is a complete fabrication.
3) Claim: Sources told this paper that
Akufo-Addo stayed at the premier hospital
overnight. ”
Fact: Nana Akufo-Addo has not stayed
overnight at Korle Bu or any other hospital
since returning to Ghana in March to launch
his campaign.
4) Claim: “According to unconfirmed reports,
doctors at the hospital advised him to be
flown out of the country for better
attention to his alleged heart condition.”
Fact (i): Akufo-Addo could not have been
advised by any doctor to be flown out for
treatment since he hadn’t been to see any
doctor as alleged. For the avoidance of
doubt, he has no scheduled trip abroad for
any medical treatment.
Fact (ii): He has no heart condition that
would necessitate being flown out for
treatment.
5) Claim: “The octogenarian flagbearer
hopeful of the NPP is said to be due for a
surgery in November 2014.”
Fact: Akufo-Addo is not an octogenarian. An
octogenarian is a person between the age of
80 and 89. This claim further exposes the
undignified agenda of the paper. The
70-year-old they claim in the story that he
is 75 has been elevated in the same story to
be in his 80s.
6) Claim: “Sources close to the ailing
flagbearer told this newspaper that he would
be abroad for three months. The source
however denied he was going for medical
treatment.”
Fact: Nana Akufo-Addo has no plans to travel
abroad for three months. He is focusing on
the October 18 contest and his schedule
after that date would be determined by the
result of the flagbearership contest.
7) Claim: “Due to Akufo-Addo’s reported
deteriorating health, his campaign scope is
said to have been adjusted to reduce
pressure on him; his running-mate, Dr.
Mahmud Bawumia is said to have been tasked
to handle his campaign in the Volta Region
and the three northern regions while he [Akufo
Addo] handles the remaining six regions.”
Fact: In order to prosecute an effective
campaign and within the time available, Nana
Akufo-Addo has appointed sector and regional
coordinators for his campaign. Dr Bawumia
has served all throughout the campaign for
the NPP flagbearership as Nana Akufo-Addo’s
sector coordinator for the three regions in
the North, just as Stephen Ntim has served
as sector co-ordinator for the “Middle Belt”
(Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Eastern Regions),
Hon. Kennedy Agyepong for the “South West”
(Western and Central Regions), and Hon.
Stanley Adjiri Blankson for the “South East”
(Volta and Greater Accra Regions). Nana
Akufo-Addo is very happy with the excellent
work that his 2012 running mate is doing,
along with the other sector and regional co-ordinators.
He believes he is lucky to have an effective
right-hand man in the person of Dr Bawumia,
and, indeed, in the persons of his other
sector and regional co-ordinators.
8) Claim: “He was reported to have collapsed
at home once and rushed to Akai House
medical facility at Osu in Accra.”
Fact: This is not true. Nana Akufo-Addo
never collapsed at home to be rushed to any
medical facility.
9) Claim: Inside the NPP, there have been
claims that Nana Addo has a kidney problem
and even recently went abroad for medical
treatment.
Fact: Nana Akufo-Addo does not have a kidney
problem. He has not travelled abroad
recently for any medical treatment. Since
his return from the United Kingdom in March
this year, he has been abroad on three
occasions: i) to Nigeria, on March 25th,
where he went as guest speaker at Verdant
Zeal’s 3rd Innovention Lecture series in
Lagos; ii) to South Africa, from May 1st to
May 18th, where he led the Commonwealth
Observer Mission to the South African
general elections of 7th May; and iii) to
England on 20th June for a ten-day visit.
10) Claim: During the Election Petition
hearing at the Supreme Court, Akufo-Addo is
said to have abandoned the case and
travelled abroad for medical treatment.
Fact: Yes, in the course of the election
petition, Nana Akufo-Addo’s office issued a
statement that he was going to London for
scheduled engagements, including a medical
check-up, which could not be varied. The
whole world knows that he did not abandon
the case and made arrangements to be fully
represented in his absence.
When notifying the nation, on March 20th, of
his intention to seek the presidential
nomination of the NPP, when nominations
opened, Nana Akufo-Addo said “I thank the
Almighty I am able to say that I feel
spiritually, psychologically, emotionally,
intellectually, physically, and
patriotically strong enough to remain in the
hurly burly of frontline politics.” He
stands by that statement.
We recognise that Akufo-Addo’s record of
public service, both to party and nation,
remains a formidable obstacle to the
political ambitions of those who are
determined, despite the corruption,
incompetence and mismanagement of their
rule, to perpetuate themselves in power and
who will, therefore, go to any extents to
try to blacken him. The “health alert” is
the latest incident in this long line of
nefarious propaganda.
He is, however, confident of the strength of
his message, his vision, his candidacy, and
his body and, by the grace of God, he will
win, first, the endorsement of his party on
October 18 and in the 2016 general elections
Ghanaians will go on to give him the
opportunity to serve as President to realise
his great vision for his beloved country.
We have taken the trouble to answer these
falsehoods in detail, in the hope that it
will put to rest all these wishful
speculations by malicious opponents. We
believe the good people of Ghana will see
these falsehoods for what they are, even
when efforts continue to be made to
manufacture them.
……signed……
Eugene Arhin
Press Secretary
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