The previous National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration, has accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government of trying to demonize it, following claims there are over 200 cars missing from the presidency.
The Director of Communications at the Presidency, Eugene Arhin, revealed to the media that, there are so far 208 cars unaccounted for from the Flagstaff House’s vehicle pool, based on the assessment of some car models in the inventory.
But the previous government in a statement signed by the former Deputy Chief of Staff, Johnny Osei Kofi, said Mr. Arhin’s claims were “ false, baseless without merit”, adding that they represented a continuation of the “distortions and bad faith that have characterized the conduct of the NPP side of the Transition team.”
The statement explained further that, “as part of the transition process, both the Assets and Logistics Committee on the NPP side were given a detailed list of all vehicles in the pool at the Presidency. More importantly, a total of 641 vehicles were listed and properly accounted for. This was duly captured in the handing over notes.”
The previous government has also questioned why the government has not “put out an iota of evidence to back these claims.”
“If the NPP government was sincere about these claims, it would have published a full list of all allegedly missing vehicles and provide specific information on each of them… The onus now lies squarely on the Akufo Addo/Bawumia government to provide very specific details of the supposedly missing vehicles, the statement concluded.
A list and details of the Flagstaff House cars attached to the statement can be viewed here
I am constrained to correct yet another distortion about the whereabouts of vehicles belonging to the Presidency. On Wednesday, Eugene Arhin, Director of Communications at the Flagstaff House, in a widely circulated interview, claimed that 200 vehicles in the pool at the presidency were missing.
He also claimed that the supposed disappearance of these vehicles has created an acute shortage compelling President Akufo Addo to resort to the use of 2007 model BMW vehicles and in some instances his own cross-country vehicle for official duties.
The claims of Eugene Arhin are false, baseless without merit. They represent a continuation of the distortions and bad faith that have characterised the conduct of the NPP side of the Transition team.
As part of the transition process, both the Assets and Logistics Committee on the NPP side were given a detailed list of all vehicles in the pool at the Presidency.
More importantly, a total of 641 vehicles were listed and properly accounted for. This was duly captured in the handing over notes. The breakdown of the vehicles are indicated in the table below;
It is befuddling that several weeks after the NPP administration begun this campaign of disinformation and harassment of members of the immediate past government, it has as yet failed to put out an iota of evidence to back these claims.
If the NPP government was sincere about these claims, it would have published a full list of all allegedly missing vehicles and provide specific information on each of them.
I also found astonishing, the claim by Eugene Arhin that President Akufo Addo cannot find decent vehicles to use and has had to rely on 2007 model BMWs for his movements since becoming President.
It must be placed on record that the use of the BMWs and his personal vehicle, if it is true, is not due to the non-availability of presidential vehicles. It is clearly a choice that he made on his own accord.
Among the vehicles handed over to the NPP team were two bulletproof salon cars and two bulletproof cross country vehicles specifically dedicated to the use of the President. Both sets of bulletproof vehicles are relatively new and in good condition for the transportation of the President.
Added to this is a fleet of almost new Mercedes Benz vehicles. Surely if President Akufo Addo can use 10 year old vehicles, he should be able to use vehicles that are relatively new and in good condition.
The attempt therefore by Eugene Arhin to create the impression of scarcity and use same as a pretext to justify the unwarranted falsehood about missing vehicles belonging to the Presidency is disingenuous and unbecoming of a public official whose actions must be guided by integrity and candour.
It is obvious from the foregoing that Eugene Arhin’s intervention is part of a grand scheme by the Akufo Addo/Bawumia government to demonise members of the previous administration for cheap partisan propaganda purposes.
In the interest of transparency and candour, a detailed inventory of all vehicles accounted for during the transition process has been attached to this statement.
The onus now lies squarely on the Akufo Addo/Bawumia government to provide very specific details of the supposedly missing vehicles out of the list provided below.
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