Is Daily Graphic now part of the rented press? – John Boadu quizzes

A member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), John Boadu is dismayed at what he says is the Daily Graphic’s decision to join the bandwagon of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) “rented press”.

He said the Thursday 23rd January, 2014 edition of the Daily Graphic with a “concocted” front page headline: 'NPP REGIONAL POLLS SPLIT RANKS BETWEEN AKUFO-ADDO, ALAN CAMPS' was baseless and without any shred of evidence.

John Boadu made the comment in reaction to alleged division in the NPP ahead of its Regional elections on Saturday 25th January, 2014.

According to the Daily Graphic report, the regional elections were split between the Alan Kyerematen and Nana Akufo-Addo camps with most of the candidates vying for position to ensure their preferred candidate becomes the flagbearer of the party.

But on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme Thursday, John Boadu bemoaned what he says is the falling standards of the state-owned media.

He said there was nothing in the story to support the deceptive headline to suggest that indeed the NPP’s front is divided.

John Boadu noted that he would not have reacted if the story was published by one of NDC’s rented press because “they are doing the bidding of their pay masters but Daily Graphic, who rented who”.

He was convinced the publication by Graphic was a deliberate attempt to cause disaffection in the NPP ahead of the 2016 general elections.

“What is the objective of Daily Graphic? Is it now part of the rented press or it wants to create disaffection among party people?” he quizzed.

He said factionalism is not peculiar to the NPP and so people should not make it seem as if the party is on the brink of collapse.

The aspiring NPP National Organizer observed that in every human institution people are bound to have their preferred candidates and thus there is nothing wrong if people openly support one candidate against the other.

John Boadu urged the Daily Graphic to quit “behaving like a rented press” and use its space for things that will benefit the larger population.