Mpohor MP's Executives descend on NDC Executives over road network

The leadership of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Mpohor Constituency of the Western Region has described as false and malicious a statement by the Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) against the MP for the area.

It would be recalled that on Friday, May 17, 2019, the NDC Communications Directorate issued a statement that the NPP MP was circulating some pictures claiming to be the construction of Apowa-Benso road.

The NDC in that statement published by some online portals described the said circulation as false and called on the general public to ignore the MP and his Constituency Executives.

In that release, it was stated that, "it had come to our notice, that the Hon MP Alex Kofi Agyekum and his supporters in the Mpohor constituency are circulating pictures on social media, claiming that he is undertaking road construction projects within the District of which pictures purported to be the Apowa to Benso road was put in the public domain.

The release said, "this is absolute falsehood, and cars plying the road have to be assisted to safety when it rains".

"It is on record that the president of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo cut the sod for this road to be constructed on 15th June, 2018, but the time frame had elapsed, though the President assured the good people of Mpohor that the project will be executed in a timely fashion".

The release said "on 12th May, 2019, there was a publication on an NPP platform on Facebook named "NPP Projects And Events Marshals", with pictures claiming to be the road project from Apowa to Benso in the Mpohor District".

The release further stated that pictures purported to be that of the District's road project were that of other districts, with the most embarrassing one being a road with a Shell petrol station along the road, when there was no such company operating in the entire Mpohor district.

"This is a disgrace to the President because there is nowhere in the Mpohor District that those projects can be found. We, therefore, challenge the MP for Mpohor, who is desperately preparing to stand again as an MP against the wishes of his own party people, to come out and tell us where the road project can be found in the Mpohor District", the statement opined.

But in a statement issued by the Constituency Executives of the NPP in the area and signed by its Communications Director, Mr. Ben Foddah bemoaned the use of treachery and maligning to besmirch the reputation and credibility of their hardworking Member of Parliament and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Sports, Youth and Cultural, Hon Alex Kofi Agyekum, who has been known over the years as a descent and discipline politician who does not know how to do politics of deception.

He said his demeanor on the political landscape and political discourse speaks volumes.

He added that said the NDC's release titled "Scandal Hits Mpohor MP" is not only misleading but very damaging and incongruous from his detractors who always sought for an opportunity to create scores.

The statement directed that "If the NDC has someone to question or to render apology, it should be the reporter who failed to act professionally on happenings in the Mpohor District".

The statement quizzed "Why does the NDC need an apology from the MP and the NPP? Is it his visit to the site, or the photographs attached to the report?"

Below is the full statement

IGNORE THE NDC IN MPOHOR, THEY ARE ON AGENDA TO TARNISH THE GOOD IMAGE OF MPOHOR MP, THE NDC NO NOTHING ABOUT APOWA-BENSO ROAD CONSTRUCTION

THEOur attention has been drawn to a press release by the Mpohor NDC dated, 13th May, 2019, and it will be a great disservice to the people in the District, and New Patriotic Party (NPP), if we do not set the records straight.

The release, among others, asked the member of parliament of the constituency, Hon. Alex Kofi Agyekum to render an apology for lying to his constituents.

The NDC claimed it had intercepted a report, purportedly from a social media outlet, precisely Facebook, and that the MP and some of his constituency executives have paid a visit to a contractor who is working on the Apowa- Benso road.

It is surprising, how the NDC has now resorted to social media as its source of believable information.

The Apowa-Benso road is the major road that leads to the District Capital of Mpohor District. The state of this road has been a major challenge to us all. This road was awarded to a contractor and a sod-cutting was performed by the president, Nana Akufo-Addo, on 10th June, 2018.

The MP who represents the people of Mpohor Constituency found it proper to visit the site with his constituency executives so as to gather first-hand information about progress of work , during which he also held discussions with the contractor.

The "cry and throwing of tantrums" by the NDC is that the news report on the MP's visit, and the accompanying photographs are false representations of the road under construction.

Why does the NDC need an apology from the MP and the NPP? Is it his visit to the site, or the photographs attached to the report?

If it is the photographs then, it is high time the NDC stop its dreaming in a web of fantasy.

We as a country have encountered several media gimmicks ranging from fallacy reportage, wrongful headlines among others. However, ignorance on the part of NDC in Mpohor had become so white as snow.

Few weeks ago, there was an expose which purported that Government is training militias in a State facility, but when it was subjected to thorough scrutiny,it was found to be false, for which the media house that published the story apologized.

If the NDC has someone to question or to render apology, it should be the reporter who failed to act professionally on happenings in the Mpohor district.

On the issue that the MP and NPP have taken undue credit for projects they knew nothing about, thus referring to Botodwina CHPS compound, K9 CHPS compound, and a six unit classroom block at Akotrom as projects which the erstwhile Mahama administration undertook, the facts are to the contrary.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) which was built on strong political tradition, and adherence to the rule of law and good governance, would not deny that such projects were, indeed, started by the former Mahama administration.

The question now is -were those projects functional before the NDC exited power? if the answer is no, who then made them functional?

"Management In Living "differentiates a "house" and a "home", explaining that" a house does not have people living in it but a home does".

This proves that NDC left us a house and the MP together with the DCE have given us a home.

NDC must know that political governance is a continuum, and the MP, together with the DCE have committed no crime by continuing from where the NDC left them.

The duo are just proving to the NDC what good governance is all about. But out of atimy, if the NDC stands by the conviction that the MP has committed a crime, then it will be good to activate the essence of comparative politics.

To this end, it is only proper to state emphatically, that the Botodwina CHPS compound, K9 CHPS compound and Akotrom six unit classroom block were started by the NDC , and the MP together with the DCE worked towards their completion.

Completion of such projects is good news and that the Mpohor District must be proud of them.

Condemnation is not a good option in politics.

Thank you.

Signed!

Ben Fordah

Communication Director Mpohor NPP