Sunyani Traditional Council’s demand wrong approach - Obiri Boahen

Deputy General Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen has described calls by the Sunyani Traditional Council that the President's nominee for the position of Brong Ahafo Regional Minister-designate, Asomah-Cheremeh, should be replaced as unfortunate and regrettable.

According to him, the entrenched position of the Sunyani Chiefs is a recipe for unnecessary tension in the Sunyani Township, considering that the Traditional Council is only one out of three paramountcies in the region.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the Deputy Chief Scribe of the NPP insisted that nobody can pick and choose for Brong Ahafo region, its regional minister except President Akufo-Addo; as the Constitution stipulates.

He added that if anybody has any issue with the President’s nominee, the appropriate quarters to seek redress is to write to the Vetting Committee to query the nominee and not the issuance of press statements.

“Sunyani Chiefs’ statement is unfortunate and regrettable to say that they cannot welcome the Regional Minister...because Sunyani does not constitute the entire Brong Ahafo region. There are many traditional councils in Brong Ahafo and so geographically, Sunyani is one town of Brong Ahafo which does not represent the entire region”, he argued.

Nana Obiri Boahen wondered why the Sunyani Traditional Council is attempting to raise a dead issue when the matter had already been dealt with prior to the December polls.

“We went to the chief’s palace and the chief raised some issues in the presence of Nana Addo, other chiefs and linguists, and then we said let sleeping dogs lie. There isn’t the need for us to revisit what happened so we were able to bury our differences,” he recounted.

During the 2016 election campaign, the Sunyani Chief, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri,, endorsed the candidate of President Mahama, pledging 80% votes for the NDC.

The NPP’s Regional Chairman then, now the Regional Minister-nominee, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, who is also a lawyer reportedly censured the chief and reminded him of the constitutional provisions restricting chiefs from engaging in active partisan politics.

Feeling offended by the criticism, the chiefs demanded an apology, but the Regional Chairman refused. NPP National executives and the presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo were compelled to do so on his behalf when the party visited the region to host it’s conference at the Sunyani Coronation Park.