The Eastern regional branch of the NDC has dismissed reports that former President John Mahama traveled to the Afram Plains by helicopter.

It comes after the Kwahu Tafo Chief, Nana Kwasi Minta, commended President Akufo-Addo over the weekend for traveling to the area by road and not by air as it was by other presidents.

In a statement, the NDC said Mr. Mahama, while in office went to the area by road and not by helicopter.

“Even though the said Chief made no mention of any particular previous government, it is important to mention that His Excellency, Former President John Dramani Mahama’s last visit to Afram Plains was BY ROAD. President Mahama during his Accounting To The People Tour of the Region in March 2016 entered Afram Plains through Ekye Amanfrom after inspecting the Nkawkaw-Atibie Road, Abetifi District Hospital and commissioning the phase 1 of the Kwahu Water Project at Kotoso,” the statement said.

The statement also noted the chief has been misconstrued by government communicators.

Below are the details of the statement by the NDC

We have become aware of a write-up from the Government Communications Bureau circulated to journalists to be used as a syndicated story to portray the new Kwahu Tafo Chief, Nana Kwasi Minta, as having praised Nana Akuffo Addo for coming by road, unlike previous governments. The Communications Bureau in a haste to make political capital out of the statement deliberately misrepresent the position of the Chief and the location of his Chiefship. He is erroneously referred to as “The Chief of Kwahu Tafo in Afram Plains”.

This grievous error cannot be allowed to pass in exchange of cheap political capital. For the records, there is no town or Community in Afram Plains called Kwahu Tafo.

Even though the said Chief made no mention of any particular previous government, it is important to mention that His Excellency, Former President John Dramani Mahama’s last visit to Afram Plains was BY ROAD. President Mahama during his Accounting To The People Tour of the Region in March 2016 entered Afram Plains through Ekye Amanfrom after inspecting the Nkawkaw-Atibie Road, Abetifi District Hospital and commissioning the phase 1 of the Kwahu Water Project at Kotoso.

At Ekye Amanfrom, he explained to the people that the Ekye-Agordeke road had received his government’s attention and was going to be captured in the 2017 road projects. President Mahama traveled by road to commission two ferries at Agordeke in the Afram Plains North District.

It is important at this stage to remind the NPP that in 2016, they promised to construct the road under discussion and even add a bridge from Adawso to Ekye Amanfrom. What has become of that campaign promise almost two years into their administration?

The Akufo-Addo government is indebted to Afram Plains North and South to the tune of 4million US Dollars in line with its “One Constituency-One Million Dollars” promise. We ask, where is the money? And what can be showed for? It is therefore not surprising for this clueless government to desperately claim to have built a warehouse in Afram Plains. This fantom warehouse may only exist on their minds since it cannot be physically shown. This should be the focus of any development agent.

We can understand that some chiefs may patronize politicians to propitiate developmental favours but it is important that the records are set for him and others to be guided in their future comments.

We are not surprised Government is fascinated by this helicopter comment and has actually highlighted it as it’s the highest point in the whole Presidential tour of the Eastern Region since turnout of supporters was very disappointing, despite organizing several buses to convey party folks to follow the President around and also, the President’s inability to visit certain constituencies for obvious reasons. We, however, pray the President never uses a helicopter for any future tour of the Region, even though he patronized it in his previous tours.

As has already been indicated, this is the third wasteful visit by the President to the Region, a clear departure from the past, where leaders account for monumental projects on their Presidential tours. This one has been that of talk durbars and jamborees, with nothing to show; a mere waste of the taxpayers’ money!

The people of Eastern Region as a whole and Afram Plains, in particular, deserves better than cheap talk and lies!!!

Signed

KEVOR, Mark-Oliver

Eastern Regional Secretary, NDC