Asuogyaman MP refutes tribal accusations, says he is ‘more Ewe’ than Pius Hadzide

Mr. Thomas Ampem Nyarko, the Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, has refuted allegations that he verbally attacked Ewes in the Asuogyaman Constituency.

According to the MP, these allegations are a tactic by his opponent, Pius Hadzide, to cause disaffection towards him.

He said Pius Hadzide, the parliamentary candidate for the New Patriotic Party and current CEO of the National Youth Authority, has resorted to dangerous tribal politics in an attempt to gain support.

“Seeing that defeat is staring him in the face due to my enviable track record of development, excellent human relations, and love for the people of Asuogyaman, Pius has resorted to divisive tactics including tribal bigotry. All such attempts have failed and will continue to fail,” he said

The MP dismissed the latest accusations as “blatant lies,” explaining that the situation arose during the limited voter registration exercise.

He narrated that, “at the commencement of the ongoing limited voter registration exercise by the Electoral Commission on Tuesday 7th May, 2024, Pius out of desperation bussed people from Afife and other communities and kept them at a residence in Akosombo ostensibly to get them registered.

"Suspicious of the activities of strangers in the community, residents raised alarm, surrounded the building, and reported the case to the police knowing that their intended attempt to register in the constituency was illegal.”

The MP emphasized that the response of his supporters to Hadzide’s actions should not be seen as a dislike for Ewes.

“As a Member of Parliament and a law-abiding citizen, I do not find anything wrong with citizens raising alarm about an act of illegality, and the resistance of my people, most of whom are Ewes, cannot be interpreted as dislike for Ewes.

“My people’s resolve to prevent Mr Hadzide from bussing non-residents to register and vote in Asuogyaman cannot be misconstrued to mean we are referring to anyone as foreigners. The love between myself and Ewes of Asuogyaman is so deep that no amount of mischievous propaganda by Pius can cause it to dwindle” the MP said in a statement.

He added that he has strong ties with the Ewes of Asuogyaman, citing his tenure of over seven years working with various communities to provide support and address development challenges.

“What I have done in Ewe communities in particular is 100 times more than what Pius will dream of doing for them even though he has had the opportunity to serve as a deputy minister and a CEO in the past seven years. That makes me more Ewe in deed than he Hadzide,” Mr. Nyarko said.

The MP urged the people of Asuogyaman to remain focused and united, rejecting the “barefaced lies” of his opponent.

“Asuogyaman is not moving backwards; we are moving forward together in unity,” the statement by Thomas Ampem Nyarko concluded.