Queenmother threatens MP… But MP calls her bluff

The Queen mother of New Edubiase, Nana Akua Dwum II, and her elders have sworn to eject communities that will vote in the 2016 election for the Member of Parliament (MP) for New Edubiase, Mr Ernest Kofi Yakah, whom they described as disrespectful and biased.

But in a sharp rebuttal, the MP, in an interview with the Daily Graphic, called the bluff of the queen mother, and argued that her machinations were politically motivated.

He went on to enumerate some of the development projects he had brought to both rural and urban communities in the constituency.

Nana Dwum accused the three-time MP on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of developing only communities considered his strongholds and refusing to have any meeting with the elders of the area.

The MP, who is one of the only three NDC MPs in the Ashanti Region, which has 47 constituencies, said “Ghana is ruled by laws and no one can sack anybody.”

Allegations

Nana Dwum gave the caution when the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong, visited her palace as part of his working visit to the Adansi South District.

The threats and allegations were started by Nana Ekye and Nana Antwi Gyabuor, the Benkumhene and the Gyasehene respectively, of the area, who first addressed the regional minister and his entourage and vowed to fight the MP if he was re-elected.

Nana Dwum alleged that over the years, the MP had never stepped foot in the area for any discussions “but only comes to take the salute during Independence Day celebrations and then vanishes into thin air”.

She added that the MP bribed voters in the rural communities with goodies to vote massively for him during elections.

Ejection notice

“You people must change him if it is possible. If not, if they vote for him again, there will be trouble between the two of us. For those communities he bribes to vote for him, all I can do is eject them from my land,” Nana Dwum told Mr Sarpong.

According to her, the MP has been biased in the distribution of development projects as he sends projects to communities that are considered his strongholds, leaving the others to their fate.

“He has properly constructed and tarred the roads leading to his residence. He has also established a factory at Kasoa and employs only people from his strongholds. The NDC must replace him to avoid any confrontation between him and the elders of the town,” she said.

MP’s reaction

In a reaction, the MP mentioned the construction of four dormitories for the New Edubiase Senior High School whose construction he facilitated, the connection of Habitat, a community in the area, to the national grid and the construction of an ICT centre at New Edubiase.