Nana Addo did not intimidate moderators of IEA debate, Aide insists but Ablakwa disagrees

The New Patriotic Party flagbearer’s aide, Abu Jinapor is accusing government spokespersons of “mischievously spinning” what was an otherwise hearty discussion between Nana Akufo-Addo and moderators of Wednesday’s IEA Presidential debate.
He was also quick to add that if any person or group needs to be condemned over the controversial UN report on Ivory Coast, it must not be the NPP flagbearer, but rather the government.
Nana Addo has been hugely criticised by members of the ruling party for his comments on the Ivorian debacle during the debate.
A deputy Information Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa capped the criticisms with a press conference, Thursday, during which he accused Nana Addo of being “reckless” on his comments on Ivory Coast.
He also described the opposition leader as “intolerant” accusing him of accosting the moderators of the show for denying him a rebuttal he had requested for during the debate.
He said the violent posture of the NPP leader cannot be countenanced.
But Abu Jinapor said his boss has done no wrong.
He told Joy FM’s Evans Mensah the criticisms by the deputy Information Minister are nothing but attempts at clutching on to straws and putting a propaganda spin on anything the NPP leader does in the run up to the elections.
He said Nana Addo at no point in time after the debate intimidate the moderators, explaining he went to them, as he did in the Tamale edition, had a little chat with them and left.
There was no intimidation or a semblance of it, he noted and challenged Evans Mensah to cross check from one of the moderators -Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah- who also works with Joy FM.
On the controversial Ivorian matter, Jinapor said his leader merely re-echoed what was already in the public domain and cannot be accused of making any reckless comments.
He said if there is any reckless charge at all, then it the government which has to be found guilty for sleeping on the job and allowing dissidents to operate in Ghana as clearly stated by no mean an International investigative body than the Security Council of the United Nation.
But the Information Minister vehemently disagreed.
Okudzeto Ablakwa maintained that UN report has been discredited, adding, even if it were true, Nana Addo, as statesman and a long serving Foreign Minister ought to have exercised a lot of “diplomatic maturity” in commenting on the matter.
He said the statements by the NPP leader, despite the clarification from the president only portrayed Nana Addo as a “selfish” personality perpetuating his “win at all cost philosophy.”
 
Source:Myjoyonline.com