Given that the rationale behind the establishment of the Daily Guide – a newspaper owned by the acting Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, and his wife, Gina – is to make profit, it cannot be wrong that the paper is carrying an advert of President John Dramani Mahama ahead of the December 7 presidential elections, Nana Obiri Boahen, Deputy General Secretary of the opposition party has said.
His comment follows claims by Mr Koku Anyidoho, his counterpart in the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), that the advertisement of Mr Mahama in the paper was an attestation that Mr Blay was not confident his party’s candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, will win the elections.
Speaking in connection with the development in an interview on Accra FM on Tuesday September 27, Mr Anyidoho said: “I don’t know where the Daily Guide gets the advert from, but I know that no matter the commercial value that will accrue to me, if I have a newspaper, there is no way I will advertise Akufo-Addo in my newspaper, never.”
“Nothing will tempt me to advertise Akufo-Addo in my paper, so if Freddie Blay is busily advertising President Mahama, it tells you he doesn’t have confidence in his candidate (Nana Akufo-Addo). And, so, to go hungry and at the same time lose the elections, he will prefer to be satisfied through advertising President Mahama.”
He added: “The underpinning argument is that no matter where he gets it (advertisement) from, no matter who gives it to him, if I was in his position as the pretending acting chairman of the NDC and I have a newspaper, there is no way I will place an advert of Akufo-Addo in the paper, just to even give confidence to your party supporters.”
What Mr Blay is doing, according to Mr Anyidoho, “is just telling the NPP that, first of all, he is not an NPP person; he is a CPP man who joined the NPP and so his association with the NPP is not genuine. He has no confidence in his flag bearer, it is as simple as that. Freddie Blay knows Akufo-Addo is losing the elections; even the NPP themselves know he is losing the elections. I am telling you for a fact today Freddie Blay knows Akufo-Addo is losing the 2016 elections and if he says I am lying, he should come and challenge me. So he will not want to lose money by refusing to advertise President Mahama.
But reacting to these comments also in an interview on the same programme, Mr Boahen said these claims by Mr Anyidoho would not be accurate because different newspapers are set up for different reasons.
He said the paper would need to raise revenue in order to remain in business, one of which is to maximise its advertisement base.
“The rationale behind the establishment of Daily Guide cannot be the same as the rationale behind the establishment of the New Statesman newspaper,” the former Deputy Interior Minister stated. “And, so, speaking in my own capacity, I think it is not wrong for the paper to carry the advert (on President Mahama).”
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A carefully planned misinformation that Afoko and Kwabena were sitting on Nana's victory and that the party was going to lose unless those two were removed, caught on well with supporters.So,long serving party men were suspended.The mood was more than that of a country that had won the world cup.Painful memories of seeing champagne being poured like water is still fresh in the minds of their supporters.Today, The men who replaced them say that, there is nothing wrong with acting chairman advertising for the party's biggest opponents. Imaging Afoko's newspaper advertising for NDC! I believe some people would have gone to the party headquarters with machetes to threaten them.Mr Blay knew that he was going to get lucrative contract from the NDC, so he quickly came out with a very interesting figure of 60% victory for NANA in order to insulate himself from the attacks of loyalist .The psyche of NPP has become so predictable.Shout at the top of your voice for NANA and all your iniquities will be forgiven.l believe that, General mosquito would be trusted more than Kwabena if can predict a win for NPP
We know the NDC is doing this to Stoke controversy in the NPP,but we are firm and will not be derailed from our target.
Kenedy Agyapong was right when he said the enemies of Nana Addo are the closest to him. Fredy Blay can not be trusted.
What else will Fredie Blay not do for money? Confuse NPP
What kind of feeble defense is Obiri Bouhen trying to put up for the disloyal action of Fredie Blay? Can any Ghanaian imagine if Paul Afoko's paper had tried this kind of betrayal of loyalty and insult to Nana Addo?
Is it not business, why should a business conscience company refuse an advert from his opponent? (so if you dislike me, you hate my dog?) killing business.
Koku should get it that having different ideologies in politics does not make us enemies. Business wise there is nothing wrong with that but since the NDC is so desperate for power, they ponce on every thing that they think can make a way for them. This shows how tolerance NPP is unlike NDC who want to cage any one who dare criticize Mahama the slightest as happened over the weekend when the guy was arrested on arrival at the airport. Remember the other guy who was also arrested at the airport for been suspected of taken the pictures of the branding of the campaign cars on Spintex road
Only ***barred word*** will think like the way you are thinking. The paper was established by individuals with their hard ends money not stealing money so who ever brings in business must be accepted. How can a fully grown matured man think like this???????????
Must Koku Anyidoho always say something? Can he see that he makes a ***barred word*** out of himself any time he opens his mouth? Tsooooo!!!
WO BE DWANI!!!! HAHAHAHA. IF YOU LIKE, CRITICISE FREDDIE BLAY AND AKUFO ADDO AND SEE WHERE YOU WILL BE BY 6:00 P.M.