On April 23, a heated debate erupted on Citi FM’s Eye Witness News between Yaw Buaben Asamoa, a member of Alan Kyerematen’s Movement for Change (M4C), and Citi TV journalist Umaru Sanda Amadu.
The exchange centered on allegations of bribery within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) sparked by claims made by Alfred Ababio Kumi, an NPP member who recently defected from Alan’s movement.
Buaben Asamoa accused Kumi of being paid to tarnish the movement’s image, stating, “I know for a fact that he has been enticed by money…it is an ongoing process by NPP apparatchiks to try and bribe younger people from the movement.” When pressed by the journalist to specify the amount of money involved, Buaben Asamoa refused, stating, “I am not interested in how much.”
Umaru Sanda Amadu pushed for concrete evidence of the bribery claims, challenging the integrity of the M4C and its convictions.
He asked Buaben Asamoa if he had been approached with bribes, to which Buaben Asamoa replied, “I am not interested in that question because I am not interested in following this process the way you want to.”
The exchange escalated, with Umaru Sanda Amadu accusing Buaben Asamoa of peddling falsehoods and questioning the strength of the M4C’s convictions. Buaben Asamoa defended the movement, urging the journalist not to generalize issues based on an individual’s actions.
Here’s an excerpt of their conversation:
Buaben: I know for a fact that he has been enticed by money and that it is not a process that is one-off; it is an ongoing process by NPP apparatchiks to try and bribe younger people from the movement because they know that the movement is focused on bringing relief to younger people because the movement is ongoing and it is viable and very powerful. And so young people who are part of the movement are being targeted with cash, with money. It is a process that is deliberately ongoing. Mr. Kumi has been paid money
Umaru: Do you know how much?
Buaben: I am not interested in how much.
Umaru: No, if a lawyer of your caliber can make a claim that someone has been paid money and not state how much money, then that is you peddling falsehood, and that cannot stand in any jurisdiction.
Buaben: I accept; you are interviewing me, if you think it is a falsehood, you have your opinion
Umaru: You told us that the movement was built on conviction, which is why people like yourself joined, if people who joined the movement because they were convinced by what Alan was preaching could be bought back by money, then it means your movement, the conviction is not convincing.
Buaben: You see, you want to keep me attacking your personality; have I been bought? If one person has been bought, why do you want to extend it to the entire movement, it is not professional. Question the man who has been bought; don’t question the entire movement. Question the man’s conviction; don’t question the entire movement. Don’t conclude about an entire movement based on one man’s slippage because that person has slipped… I am sitting here. Have I slipped, and have I been paid?
Umaru: Have you been approached?
Buaben: Umaru Sanda, I am not interested in that question because I am not interested in following this process the way you want to; the way you are going is totally unprofessional; you are believing something that is a figment of somebody; you are seeking to make a mountain out of something that does not exist.”
