Akufo-Addo never asked Yagbonwura to stand up and greet him, that’s the work of propagandists – Abu Jinapor

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo and Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor, has vehemently denied allegations circulating on social media regarding President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's conduct during the first anniversary celebration of Yagbonwura Soale Biikunuto Jewu Soale I, the overlord of the Gonja kingdom.

In response to the video circulating online, which purportedly shows President Akufo-Addo ordering the Gonja King to stand up for pleasantries, Mr. Jinapor addressed the media for the first time, categorically refuting the claims.

During the interview with journalists, the MP gave an account of what transpired.

He explained that the Yagbonwura invited the President to be his special guest of honor at his first anniversary, and despite the jam-packed activities he had lined up for the day, President Akufo-Addo made it to Damongo.

Mr. Jinapor detailed that, customarily, everyone else would greet the Yagbonwura first before the president would take his turn, so the president waited for his turn.

"The president moved forward and had a hearty, warm greeting with the Yagbonwura and congratulated him. I was there; I saw it. It was heartwarming—a very warm exchange of pleasantries and congratulations from the president to the Yagbonwura," he revealed.

Mr. Jinapor said, without a shred of doubt, that "Nobody, certainly not the president, ever asked the Yagbonwura to stand up before the president would move forward to greet him."

He emphasized that such tactics are common during election seasons, aimed at undermining the credibility of the ruling government.

He blamed the leaked video on propagandists who, he indicated, "took the video and edited it, removed the part where members of the delegation were filing to greet the Yagbonwura while the president was standing and waiting, and then put a voiceover which suggested that the president was insisting that the Yagbonwura stands up before he goes to greet him. That is false. Nothing like that happened."

Mr. Jinapor described the President as a "disciplined, courteous, respectful statesman of Ghana, and he has established it both as the leader of the opposition throughout his public life and as president.

"He has conducted himself in these years to earn the respect, admiration, and love of the Ghanaian people, and of course, the people of Gonja."