The New Patriotic Party's (NP) candidate for the Odododiodio Parliamentary bye-election, Asafoatse Kojo Mankattah (a.k.a Joe), has debunked claims made by his political opponents that he (Mankattah Jnr.) is an illiterate who does not know how to speak English.

Asafoatse Mankattah said that the fact that he is not a Professor and does not hold a Doctorate Degree does not mean he is an uneducated person, ignorant, unable to read and write and for that matter incapable of contributing meaningfully to the development of his constituency.

"It is unfortunate that people who claim to be educated would go about telling lies that I cannot speak English, and that I am uneducated. "Look, I am educated, I am not an illiterate or ignorant.

I studied Accounting in school. If I were an illiterate how could I be a qualified revenue officer working with the AMA? Or a Diocesan Council leader in my church?" Asafoatse Nii Mankattah quipped.

The NPP candidate rationalized that the Odododiodio constituency does not necessarily need a parliamentarian who is an intellectual guru with the highest academic credentials, but rather the constituency is in need of someone who has touch with the electorate, understands their challenges and can practically work hand in hand with them to improve upon their wellbeing.

Mankattah Jnr. said in as much as he is educated and respects education, that alone is not an end in itself and shall never be the ultimate qualification requirement of a parliamentarian.

He continued that there are a lot of highly educated people in this country whose academic qualification has made them sophisticated, unable to mingle and work with the ordinary person and therefore tend not to have a practical understanding of the issues bothering the ordinary Ghanaian.