Minister's Pants On Fire

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Kofi Poku Manu, has come under fierce criticisms from residents of Kumasi, particularly supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), over his incendiary comments.

Mr. Poku Manu sparked controversy last Sunday in Kumasi when he charged supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to beat up any NPP supporter who passed unsavoury comments about the ruling party. The Minister’s comments were captured on tape, and played on a number of radio stations across the country.

“I’m urging you to beat them because, in this world, we do not wish good for our detractors nor deal leniently with them,” the Regional Minister told party supporters at the Prempeh Assembly Hall in Kumasi last Sunday.

Commenting on the unfortunate remarks on a number of radio stations in the Garden City on Tuesday morning, residents expressed utter disappointment, calling on the Minister to apologize to Ghanaians. Others however called for his dismissal and prosecution for inciting violence.

Kwadwo Owusu-Afriyie, popularly called Sir John, said the Minister must be removed from office and prosecuted.

Sir John, who is contesting the position of General Secretary of the NPP, said he was utterly disappointed by the utterances of the Minister.

Kumasi residents noted that they never expected such insalubrious comments from a Regional Minister who is the head of the Regional Security Council, asking Mr. Poku Manu to bury his head in shame.

They intimated that Mr. Poku’s comments had the capacity to cause a crisis in the country and therefore enjoined the good people of Ghana to disregard them and live in peace with one another.

Still condemning Mr. Poku Manu, the residents entreated President Mills to immediately sack the aged Regional Minister before he makes further inflammatory statements to destabilize the nation.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti Regional Youth Organizer of the NPP, Kennedy Kankam, has told Daily Guide in an interview that the party is ready to match the NDC boot-for-boot.

According to him, as law-abiding citizens of the land, NPP members would never initiate violence, “but we will defend ourselves the best way we know how, when we are attacked”. He said he was not surprised by the distasteful comments from Mr. Poku Manu, because according to him, the NDC as a party was born and nurtured in violence.

However, in his reaction to the public outcry about his repugnant comments, the one-time Ashanti Regional Coordinating Director could not deny it but indicated that he did not recall making those comments.

“I don’t recall making those statements, but if indeed I made them, then what I can say is that it was unfortunate,” he told Joy Fm, an Accra-based radio station.

Explaining why those comments were unfortunate, Mr. Poku Manu emphasized that his personality would not allow him to make such comments.