NDC General Secretary Fiifi Fiavi Kwetey has explained that the party changed its position on Obuasi Senior High Technical School headmaster Zakaria Abdulai after reviewing the full video and audio materials released by investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni.
Kwetey said the party did not have access to the comprehensive materials when it initially discussed the matter on Monday, but reconsidered its decision after watching the exposé.
“The party unluckily did not have access to what you call Manasseh’s comprehensive disclosure as at Monday when we had a meeting,” he said at the party’s headquarters.
He explained that the party’s position changed after members watched the recordings in full, prompting a decision that was announced the following day.
“Soon after watching those Manasseh tapes comprehensively, it was no doubt at all that our earlier decision needed to be changed, and that actually is what saw the change of the decision as you saw happened on Tuesday, even before midday,” Kwetey said.
He also distanced the party from comments made by one of its communication officers in an attempt to defend the accused, describing those remarks as unacceptable and inconsistent with the NDC’s position on sexual misconduct.
“One of our communication officers, in his attempt to want to defend, said things that absolutely must be condemned, that absolutely have nothing to do with this party,” he said.
Kwetey maintained that the party had consistently opposed rape and sexual misconduct and that individual officers could not speak on its behalf when making comments that contradicted that position.
“Any officer who misspoke clearly is not speaking on behalf of this party. Personal responsibility is his,” he said.
