The Minister of Inner-city and Zongo Development, Dr Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, has defended his earlier statement during President Nana Akufo-Addo’s encounter with the press, at which he indicated that the Aboabo Pelele drains in the Asokore Mampong Municipality of the Ashanti Region has been dredged by his ministry.

Dr Abdul-Hamid emphasised that his comment was the "incontrovertible truth" without any falsehood.

The minister received public backlash and was described by residents in the area as a "liar" for making that statement.

However, speaking at the media launch of the 2019 Conference of Zongo for Peace and Development held in Kumasi on Wednesday, 2 January 2019, Dr Abdul-Hamid clarified that: "It is my democratic right and democratic responsibility to ensure that what I say is really the truth and what I said is the truth, incontrovertible truth".

He explained that the drain was dredged by his predecessor before he took over, adding that: "When I came as a minister, I came on a tour of the Ashanti Region project sites, and I went to the Pelele and I saw that it has been de-silted [and] subsequently, my personal assistant put out the videos".

He said evidence of the dredged drain is available to prove his claim.

Dr Abdul-Hamid further said that one of the persons who took to Facebook to discredit him has gone to people who were in charge of the dredging to beg for some of the de-silted sand to build his house.

He described his critics’ claims as nothing but "mischief and propaganda".