NPP’s Bugri Naabu confirms Prez. Mahama and brother’s attempted bribe

• Posted on December 1, 2016
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

The New Patriotic Party Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu, has confirmed report of attempted bribe by President John Mahama and his brother, Ibrahim Mahama.

The president was said to have induced Bugri Naabu with mouthwatering package, including cash and luxurious vehicles in order to smear his (Mahama’s) main opponent in the December 7 election, and NPP leader, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

The NPP had revealed the attempted bribery of its high-ranking member at a press conference on Tuesday, describing it as despicable.
“It is true. I think they’ve shown you the car, I believe they didn’t just call the press conference, so, there’s no doubt about that, but you can call later. Thank you,” Mr Bugri Naabu told Accra-based Atinka FM morning show host Ekuorba Gyasi, yesterday – a day after the news broke.

DAILY GUIDE’s attempts to speak to the NPP chairman were unsuccessful as he was reported to be at a rally yesterday.

Mr Bugri Naabu, according to a reliable source, will hold a press conference in Tamale today to throw more light on the bribery scandal involving the president and his brother.

Mustapha Hamid, spokesperson for Nana Akufo-Addo, on Tuesday, November 29, accused Mahama and his brother Ibrahim of inducing Bugri  Naabu with two SUVs, GH¢3.3 million and GH¢500,000 in October this year.

The said goodies, according to Mr Hamid, were meant to cajole the NPP Northern Regional chairman to ditch the party and launch scathing tribalistic assault on Akufo-Addo and label him as intolerant to people of Northern extraction.

“It’s terribly sad. This country is in serious trouble; we need to rescue this country from serious trouble. The presidency has been so depraved, so muddied, so dirtied that I tell you in all sincerity as a Ghanaian that I feel terribly sad as a Ghanaian,” said Mustapha.
According to him, “On Friday, 28th October, 2016, our Northern Regional Chairman, Daniel Bugri Naabu, was invited to meet President John Dramani Mahama. The meeting was set up by his brother Ibrahim Mahama and a friend of his, Mohammed Awal. Ibrahim Mahama and Awal drove to the office of Bugri Naabu in Osu, near the Osu Police Station, Accra, shortly before 9pm. It was Alhaji Awal who walked to Bugri Naabu’s office. With Bugri Naabu were Majid Bawa and John Kwaku Alhassan (JK), who contested in the NPP parliamentary primary in the Yunyoo Constituency. Awal said that the president wanted to see Bugri Naabu and insisted it was important that Bugri meets with the president,” Mr Hamid narrated.

The NPP alleges that Mr. Bugri Naabu was taken to a meeting in Ibrahim Mahama’s house, where he (Ibrahim), President Mahama and Awal Mohammed met Bugri Naabu, the press statement said.

“As the president was talking, Ibrahim got up to signal and a man walked into the room with a bag behind his back. He dropped it in front of Bugri and left. Ibrahim opened it and it was full of fifty Ghana-cedi notes. Bugri asked what that was about. Ibrahim said there was GH¢500,000 in it. The deal was that they were prepared to give him more.

“Bugri said to them that he was surprised. Why now? The government had sat on Bugri’s money as a contractor for years. Bugri was still owed GH¢247,000 for a feeder road contract and the certificate had been ready since 2013, when he was not even Regional Chairman, but they refused to pay because he is NPP.
This was the full details of the deal they offered Bugri that night:
Brand new V8 Toyota Land Cruiser;
Brand new V6 Mitsubishi Pajero;
Brand new Nissan Pick-up;
GH¢3.3 million, including the contract sum owed to Bugri minus the GH¢500,000,

and a new road contract.

“Ibrahim said they were prepared to give Bugri a road contract worth GH¢190 million. There and then, they offered Bugri work on a road that he had already worked on years ago under the NPP, the Osenase-Apinamang Road. The president directed Bugri to see the Director of the Department of Feeder Roads, Francis Digber. When Bugri was leaving, Ibrahim asked him to give GH¢50,000 of the GH¢500,000 to Alhaji Awal, promising to reimburse him later,” according to Mustapha.

Bugri later paid the money into his Prudential Bank account.

He was said to have reported the full details of the meeting to the NPP flag bearer, who was out of Accra campaigning.

“A few days later, to show good faith, Ibrahim Mahama joined a high-powered NDC delegation, led by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Kenneth Wujangi, with Minister of State, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed and Ghana’s Ambassador to Angola, Moses Bukari Mabengba, to the funeral of Bugri Naabu’s daughter. Ibrahim Mahama generously donated GH¢20,000 at the funeral, and the president GH¢10,000.

“True to their word, the first of the three vehicles was ready and Bugri sent one of his boys to pick it up. According to the Customs Classification and Valuation Report, the vehicle was imported into Ghana by Malin Investment Ltd in August this year and the duty paid on it was GH¢40,274.70,” Mustapha said.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the media, I have given you enough names and enough details to support the case that the president and his brother have approached Bugri and offered him cash, a contract and vehicles and in return, for him to create divisions in the NPP and tell lies about the flag bearer and paint him as an ethnic bigot who hates northerners,” he added.

But Kofi Adams, campaign coordinator of the National Democratic Congress, has challenged the allegation, stating that John Mahama was not in Accra at the time mentioned in the press statement.

“On 28^th October, 2016, President Mahama was not in Accra. He was on a campaign trip. He embarked on tours through Adukrom, Lower and Upper Manya, Kpong and Asuogyaman before finally ending it at Akosombo. I was there. We got home after mid-night. Is Mahama a magician to divide himself into two beings? Mahama present in two regions simultaneously?”