Kwabena Agyepong ‘schools’ Bawumia on the allegations in a 2012 petition, saying he is aware that it is a falsehood

New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer hopeful, Kwabena Agyei Agyepong has hit back at Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia over his claims that he had to step up to testify in the 2012 election petition after leading figures in the party abstained.

According to Kwabena Agyepong, the claim by Dr Bawumia, who is also a candidate in the flagbearer race, is nothing short of palpable lies deliberately being churned out by the vice president to boost his campaign.

“You see, I said something that we should let truth be our mantle; politically we should be truthful. I heard what he said and I was shocked because it is not true; he knows it is not true but he said it. That we run away?

“It is wrong, he knows it is not true,” he told Kofi Adomah Nwanwani in an interview on Kofi TV.

Dr Bawumia as part of his campaign has sought to tout himself above his contenders in terms of contribution to the party.

At one of his constituency campaign events in the Ashanti Region, Dr Bawumia said that most party leaders were “running away” when they were needed to testify at the 2012 election petition.

He said that he was the only one brave enough to be the key witness for the party in the Supreme Court but the people who were “running away” are now saying it is their turn to lead the NPP.

According to Kwabena Agyepong, Dr Bawumia in his claim has deliberately avoided some baseline facts just to suit his narrative.

“Does he know the genesis of the case in court in 2012? Those of us who were at the Electoral Commission at the time, do you know what happened that caused the election results to be curtailed for 48 hours? Was he there by then?

“He only came in after the party National Council took a decision that we will go to court.

“If we are to go to court, candidate Akufo-Addo and he as being part of the ticket and then the chairman and then the general secretary of the party, those are the ones who went to go; those are the plaintiffs.

“So when you go and make your case you have to defend it. So he shouldn’t have said that for anyone to hear it. It is not true and it is wrong; I was very disappointed when I heard that we run away. It is not true,” he said.

The New Patriotic Party then in opposition challenged the 2012 presidential election results after the Electoral Commission declared John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic Congress as winner.

Dr Bawumia who was then running mate to Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on the ticket of the NPP testified in court as the key witness for the plaintiffs.

The Supreme Court eventually dismissed the petition.

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GA/SARA