Independent parliamentary candidate for the April 30, Ejisu by-election, Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, has described the Minister for Roads and Highways, Francis Asenso-Boakye, as a petty-minded person.

According to the former New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Ejisu, it is rather unfortunate that the minister says only NPP MPs can realistically lobby him for road projects in his bid to woo voters for the NPP in the by-election.

"Don't mind him; he's petty-minded. I forgive him for saying that, and I am hearing a lot of people have criticized him on the phone. The thing is, he is not the first or the last person to occupy that office.

"It is for Ghana, and it is by the grace of God that you have been appointed a sector minister. Your responsibility is to ensure that all roads in Ghana are fixed and maintained.

"So, if the person is an independent candidate, what shows you won't pay attention to them when they approach you?" he questioned in a radio interview.

The statement by Aduomi is in reaction to recent comments by Asenso-Boakye, who told electorates in Ejisu to vote against opposition candidates to guarantee development (especially roads) from the central government.

According to the minister, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Bantama, it is only proper to elect an MP who has close links to the government.

He said any other candidate, be they independent or from the opposition, would find it difficult to lobby him for road projects because they do not belong to the governing party.

"As we speak, the government has a candidate, yet you say you won't vote for him. If you vote for an independent or opposition MP, how does he lobby for roads for you?

"If he is in Parliament, can he come to my office to lobby for roads for you? He cannot because it doesn't happen," he said during a campaign stop in the area.

But while condemning the minister’s statement, Aduomi, who resigned from the NPP to contest the election as an independent candidate, noted that it is due to such ills and actions of the government which has left the party in a bad situation.

"If an opposition MP comes to you and you won't look at them, that is what has landed the NPP where they are today. Is that how politics is done? During my tenure as an MP, I was able to point out roads I constructed while in opposition. We don't speak like that. He is not a deep thinker, not a deep thinker at all," he stated.

The Ejisu by-election comes on the back of the passing of the sitting Member of Parliament, John Kumah, who died on March 7, 2024.

The otherwise safe seat of the NPP is under threat following Kwabena Owusu Aduomi’s decision to contest against his former party. The opposition National Democratic Congress, on the other hand, has announced their decision not to contest in the by-election.

According to the NDC, it is rather focused on the upcoming general election slated for December 7.



GA/SARA


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