The truth will vindicate me - Aide to Tema MCE

The Special Assistant to the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, who is facing accusations of having knowledge about a missing payloader machine belonging to the Tema Metropolitan Assembly has laughed off the accusation.

Mr Lawrence Agyekum, who is also the Assembly Member for Ottowa Electoral Area in Tema has said that his name had been purposely dragged into the apparent theft by detractors, an agenda he said would never succeed.

“I am not worried at all because I know the truth is on my side; I did not take any payload machine to sell as scrap or whatever anybody is trying to accuse me of. And as for those behind the accusations, I want to assure them that they will be exposed,” Mr. Agyekum said.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Friday, Mr Agyekum said the Criminal Investigations Department of the Tema Regional Police had opened investigations into the case of the missing payloader.

He said the payloader was said to have broken down after the TMA rented it out in 2016. Upon assuming office in 2017, the new MCE for Tema, Felix Mensah Nii Annang-La, initiated moves to get it repaired.

However, about three weeks ago, while the MCE was out of the country, the machine suddenly vanished, apparently stolen by miscreants who had been timing the movements of the MCE.

Just as anger was ignited at the Assembly over the theft, some people are said to have secretly started a campaign to label the Special Assistant of the MCE as the one behind the missing pay loader machine.

“It is a very detestable campaign to smear me. I have already contacted my lawyers about the possibility of suing over this nonsensical allegation,” Mr. Agyekum said.

He said his detractors had already failed and that would not deter him to withdraw from the race to be re-elected as the Assembly Member for the Ottowa Electoral Area.

“You can’t win elections by smear campaign as far as I am concerned, at the end of the day, it is the people of the electoral Area that will determine who represents them and they will do so by assessing my works, not some senseless allegation.”

Mr Agyekum warned his detractors to be mindful of the fact that their detraction was actually calling attention on themselves as people who possibly know the whereabouts of the missing machine.

It is believed that whoever stole the machine may want to sell it as scrap.