(L) Yamoah Ponko and Andy Okrah (R)
Vociferous National Democratic Congress member, Afrifa Yamoah Ponko, has launched a scathing attack on the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Andy Osei Okrah, over the NDC’s humiliating defeat in the region in last Wednesday’s general elections.
The former Ejisu Municipal Chief Executive, say Mr Okrah, who is also the campaign coordinator of the party in the region, mismanaged campaign funds and failed to prosecute a solid campaign to ensure victory in the region. “He sits at home, hires police band for his birthday celebration. Do you think we are stupid?
You came to meet a system, instead of you to improve the lot of the system you have rather come to destroy the system which has led to this particular situation and do you think we are fools?,” Yamoah Ponko fumed on Kumasi-based Nhyira FM.
“If you hold public office, your lifestyle matters,” he added, and condemned what he said is the extravagant lifestyle of Mr Okrah.
He said Okrah having failed to improve the fortunes of the party in the Ashanti Region, the best thing for him to do was to apologise to the people and not come to say “useless things”. “Our woes are all because of Okrah. He failed.
It’s not everything that one sees he can say,” Mr Yamoah Ponko said He added: “Everything you do you’ve got to be very careful. This guy [Okrah] was scheming and lobbying that he didn’t like the deputy minister post and since Kojo Bonsu was no more the KMA boss, he should be given that position.”
“If anyone says we cannot apportion blame for our loss then that person doesn’t know what he is talking about. If they say we can’t blame anybody that cannot be true. “If we give you a job and your are not able to do it we have to be candid and tell you that you are a failure!,” Mr Yamoah Ponko said.
But when contacted to respond to the allegation of mismanagement of campaign funds, Mr Okrah he declined except to say they are currently focused on the loss and strategise for the next elections in 2020.
“My focus now is to reflect on the loss and work with the executives to rebuild a formidable team for the next elections” Andy Okrah He rejected claims that the party did not make gains in the December 7 general elections, indicating that the party clinched the Ejura parliamentary seat from the New Patriotic Party.
