Former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Offinso, Augustine Collins Ntim
Member of Parliament (MP) for Offinso North, Augustine Collins Ntim, has incurred the wrath of constituency secretaries of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region following remarks considered counterproductive to Dr. Bawumia's presidential bid.
Ntim, a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Offinso during the Kufuor presidency and a former Deputy Minister of Local Government, Decentralisation, and Rural Development under the Akufo-Addo government, addressed a meeting of the constituency secretaries group at the Bawumia 2024 campaign office in Asokwa, Kumasi, on Sunday, May 26.
Statements he made relating to the choice of running mate for the flagbearer did not sit well with the gathering.
Stab in the back:
Ntim reportedly stated that there is no need for Dr. Bawumia to pick his running mate from the Ashanti Region because the region will vote for the NPP no matter where the running mate comes from.
On that score, he insisted that the Ashanti Region give their support to Irene Naa Torshie Addo, who is from the Greater Accra Region, for the running mate position.
Shock:
His pronouncement came as a shock to the gathering, as they saw it as undermining the very region that had supported him in politics.
As an Ashanti who, at various times in his political career, rode on the back of the NPP’s stronghold to occupy respectable positions in government, Ntim, by his comments, was seen by the constituency secretaries as an ungrateful person.
Staunch Christian:
Again, in his speech at the meeting of constituency secretaries, Ntim sought to create the impression that Dr. Bawumia, in the present state, cannot win the votes of the Christian community.
According to the former deputy minister, it is clear that many Christians will not vote for the NPP flagbearer if he doesn’t choose a staunch Christian as his running mate.
Based on that, he suggested that Naa Torshie is the best fit for the running mate.
Reactions of discontent:
This drew a reaction of discontent from the gathering.
To the constituency secretaries, it is untenable for an experienced politician like Ntim to suggest that Dr. Bawumia does not have the support of Christians.
They rebuked him for trying to undermine the Bawumia campaign.
Their position was based on the cordial relations Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has built with the Christian community, which have been widely acknowledged by highly respected men of God and the general Christian community.
Personal gains:
The consensus among the constituency secretary caucus of the party was that Ntim was pursuing personal gains from Naa Torshie, who is the administrator of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), to enhance his battered political image.
Having lost his parliamentary primary and also his position as deputy minister, the Offinso North MP may be looking for some support from the DACF administrator to salvage some of his lost image.
Apology demanded:
As details of the former deputy minister’s comments spread across the Ashanti region, a group calling itself Concerned Ashanti NPP Youth has condemned the MP and has asked him to apologize unreservedly or face their wrath.
