Yesterday we [Ghanaian Chronicle] carried a story about the use of Ghana Air Force plane G520 by Alan Kyerematen for his NPP presidential campaign in Wa and Tamale. When the story hit the newsstands yesterday, the head of the Public Affairs Directorate of the Ghana Armed Forces, Col. E. K. Nibo confirmed that indeed Alan used the aircraft, but explained that it was hired for him by a company he named as Munich.
According to Nibo it cost almost ¢20 million to hire the aircraft for an hour.
Col. Nibo, who called our Acting Editor on phone, also denied that the aircraft was the presidential one as we indicated in the story.
Col. Nibo had earlier explained, on air, that anyone who has the means can come forward to rent the aircraft and mentioned a number of institutions that have rented it before.
Few minutes after Nibo had spoken on Peace FM, one of the presidential aspirants, Mr. Hackman Owusu Agyeman was also called and he confirmed the use of the aircraft by Alan.
The Chronicle could deduce from his voice that he was not happy about the use of the aircraft by his opponents. To him there must be level playing field for all the aspirants. “If the aircraft is available to everybody, they should let us know,” Hackman noted on air.
Ever since the NPP presidential race begun, people have raised several questions about the extravagant spending by Mr. Alan Kyerematen. Day in and out there have been reports that he has been doling out huge sums of money to delegates as their transport fares for coming to meet him.
Hackman Owusu Agyeman, in his Peace FM interview, said he was up there when the delegates who went to meet him came back with their envelopes.
Reports we had, indicated that the aircraft that carried Alan and his team, to Wa and Tamale, left the north late in the day. Now if hiring the plane would cost the person almost ¢20 million per hour, one can image the money that the so-called company will pay to the Armed Forces for using the aircraft for a day.
Source: GhanaWeb
