<<Print>>

Veteran Journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Bako said he’s unperturbed by the insults being rained on him for defending the President Mahama over the Ford gift saga. Mr Kweku Bako has come under a barrage of attack from members of the opposition New Patriotic Party for defending what they term as an act of bribery and corruption for accepting a gift from Burkinabe contractor Kanazou Djibril.

The latest attack has come from a former NPP Okaikoi North Constituency seat aspirant Ken Kuranchie, who has described as embarrassing the spirited defense of President Mahama over the Ford gift controversy. Kweku Bako who is The New Crusading Guide Editor -in- Chief, and a celebrated investigative journalist has rubbished the bribery allegation against President Mahama, saying, the whole matter is not an issue. According to him, Manasseh Azuri Awuni’s efforts to get to the bottom of the matter is commendable, but the attempt to link the issue to a bribe could have been better packaged.

“I have a lot of respect for Kweku Baako, he’s one person I look up to in the media, and I would have worshipped him if he were a god. I however feel embarrassed at the comments by the man I so much respect passed on the gift saga. The matter is a serious one which should not be brushed aside as the New Crusading Guide Newspaper boss is doing. I really feel ashamed at his conduct” the Daily Searchlight Newspaper editor told Atinka fm

But Kweku Baako has shrugged off the criticism about him. He told host of Accra Based Metro Tv’s Good Morning Ghana Randy Abbey he’s not moved by the criticism by the NPP, except that people who do so must do it fairly.

“There’s no doubt that the Mahama’s are my friends. I have a spot for them just I do for Nana Addo and Kuffour. These are my very good friends. Come on I am human. Can’t I have a soft spot for somebody? It’s normal. When I defend Nana Akufo even under very difficult circumstances as for that onme they don’t have an issue with it but when I do same for the Mahama then they have an issue. I think its double standards. Anyway like I said I am not worried at all. They can go on. I wish them well” He told show host Randy Abbey

On his part the aspiring Member of Parliament for the Tamale North Alhassan Suhuyini who was also on the program said the NPP have increasingly exhibited intolerance for divergent views and for that matter have developed the penchant for attacking anybody who disagrees with them. He threw a challenge to the NPP to come out and state that they have never received a gift from contractors for campaign purposes.

“I know a lot of NPP big wigs…who have received one form of gift or the other from a contractor. Does that mean the gifts are meant to influence the flag bearer to give them contracts should he ever become president of this country? Well if that the logic they are pushing then let’s interrogate and I am ready to do that. But I can assure them that no weapon fashioned against the president shall prosper. The NPP is doing all it can to tag the president with corruption but I can assure them they are wasting their time,” he said.