The Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor has incurred the wrath of aggrieved power consumers at Lower Manya Krobo following his comment that electricity cannot be consumed for free and that residents who cannot afford should go off the national grid.

The residents including the Member of Parliament for Lower Manya Krobo, Ebenezer Okletey Terlabi have urged the Eastern Regional Minister to apologize for his unsavoury comments.

Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfuor has condemned agitating residents at Krobo area following recurring clashes between locals and Police over PDS mass disconnection exercise.

Mr. Kwakye Darfuor in the wake of the disturbances has asked that locals should be weaned off the national grid if they can’t pay their electricity bills.

He said the only thing which is free in Ghana which they can enjoy is free SHS and not electricity.

He said this in a Regional Security Council(REGSEC) and Stakeholders meeting held at Odumase on Thursday.

But the livid Member of Parliament in an interview said the Regional Minister must do the honourable thing of apologizing to the good people of Krobo.

“This is very unfortunate I hope he listens to himself again and will come and apologize to the people. The fact that you are owing doesn’t mean that you don’t deserve to use electricity, so what we are saying is that the problem should not be overstretched. It is not about chieftaincy, it’s not about the fact that there’s any MoU anywhere, what we are saying is that the bills that they brought were very huge and we suspect foul play. Let them go back review, bring the bill and Lower Manya people are prepared to pay electricity bills but we are prepared to pay realistic bills period.”