Tensions slightly increased in Parliament on Friday, November 21, 2025, after Minority Chief Whip Frank Annoh-Dompreh learned that a statement made by Bole Mamboi MP Yusif Sulemana was 'insulting and disparaging' to the people of Kyebi and the Eastern Region as a whole.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) lawmaker asserted during the debate of the 2026 budget that the people of Kyebi used to share drinking water with pigs under President Akufo-Addo's administration and that they were only given potable water by President John Dramani Mahama's intervention.
Sulemana's comment was a direct response to a statement made by Alexander Akwasi Acquah, Akim Oda MP, who lambasted the President Mahama-led administration for its plans to abandon existing projects and begin new ones.
He said, "Mr Speaker, we had a president who abandoned a lot of projects; he abandoned Bole town roads, he abandoned all projects that were going on at the Bole Senior School, he abandoned our Teacher Training College that was started in 2016. For the 8 years that he was president, he never visited Bole; now you want to compare him with H.E. John Mahama. If John Dramani Mahama had not done anything for the people of Kyebi, he provided them with potable water when indeed they were drinking water with pigs."
Offended by the remarks, Frank Annoh-Dompreh brought the statement to the Speaker's notice and requested that the Bole MP give evidence to establish his claims. The Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP further urged that the comment be retracted and removed from legislative records, and an apology rendered to the good people of Kyei.
"Speaker, ordinarily I won't speak; I intend to listen to my colleague... a while ago, he made a definite statement that the people of Kyebi were drinking water with pigs. Granted that he wants to stand by that statement, then he must provide evidence to that statement; otherwise, he must be made to withdraw, and that aspect of his speech expunged, and he must apologise to the good people of Kyebi and the people of Eastern Region. That is offensive," said Annoh-Dompreh.
The Chamber regained its composure when Bernard Ahiafor, the First Deputy Speaker, actually ordered that the statement be removed from parliamentary records.
Parliament continues to debate the 2026 Budget and Economic Policy, with healthcare, hospitals, education, and roads emerging as some of the most critical concerns raised by lawmakers.
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