Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid has maintained that the President’s three-day visit to the Ashanti region has nothing to do with the recent ‘ignoble’ attack by NPP vigilante group, Delta Force, on one of his appointees in the region.
Mr. George Agyei, the Ashanti Regional Security Coordinator, was forcibly removed from his office by heavily built members of Delta Force numbering about 200. So far about 14 of the attackers including their leader have been arrested by the police pending prosecution.
The attack was condemned roundly, which necessitated the presidency to summon the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Bosiako popularly called Chairman Wuntomi who is said to be the owner or bank roller of the vigilante group.
Barely a week after the attack, the presidency announced a three-day visit by the President, Nana Akufo-Addo to the Ashanti Region, his party’s stronghold.
Many have linked the visit to the attack on the regional security coordinator, but Information Minister Mustapha Hamid has denied the connection.
“That is not part and indeed it is not the reason he is going [to the Ashanti Region]. We cannot envisage what trouble will come next when we are going to the next region…it is purely accidental, it has nothing to do with this matter otherwise it wouldn’t e institutionalized,” he told the media on Friday.
The President is expected to leave Accra to the Ashanti Region Friday evening.
The Minister explained that the visit will be institutionalized by the Presidency to make sure that on monthly basis, the president spends a weekend in a region outside Accra.
He said this is aimed at giving the President an opportunity to interact with the people in all the regions to get first hand information on how the people assess his leadership.