Kwesi Opoong Ababio, MCE, Sunyani
Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Sunyani in the Brong-Ahafo Region, Kwesi Opoong Ababio – who is facing media criticisms for branding his official vehicle with his campaign posters – has justified his action.
According to him, because President John Dramani Mahama also uses his official vehicles to go on campaign trips, there is nothing wrong if his (MCE’s) representatives also use their official vehicles for electioneering campaign.
Quizzed on a local radio station – Ark Fm – as to why he had posted his personal posters on his official vehicle to campaign for the Sunyani East parliamentary seat, as it is an abuse of incumbency, Mr Kwesi Opoong Ababio, also a parliamentary candidate for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), said because his opponents are not in the capacity of an MCE, they cannot post their pictures on any official vehicle of the assembly noting, “If they had the same opportunity, they would equally do it.”
He said he would have posted his pictures on all assembly vehicles, but he did not do that and only used his official vehicle. He asked the interviewer, “Apart from that vehicle which other property of the assembly have I taken advantage of?” He therefore, described the interview on the matter as trivial. He quizzed further, “So do you expect the president of the land to pack his official vehicle and buy another one to use on campaign trips?” He stressed that “the president also uses state cars” and wondered what’s wrong if he is also using his official vehicle to campaign.
Meanwhile, a section of the public in the region is calling on the MCE to remove his campaign pictures on his official 4X4 vehicle because the NDC has allocated vehicles to all parliamentary candidates in the region to do their campaigns. He retorted that as long as he remained the MCE of Sunyani, he would not remove the posters on the vehicle.
