General News of Tuesday, 17 April 2007

Source: Ghanaian Voice

Nana Akufo-Addo In Trouble

The Ambition of Nana Akufo-Addo, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and Nepad, who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South to the Eastern Region, has received a heavy blow from the citizens of Apedwa, who have charged him with being insensitive to their plight.

The citizenry are bemoaning that since year 2000 when Nana-Addo sought the mandate of the people to stand as their Member of Parliament (MP), which he won has never set a foot in the town. The town, with about nine polling stations and over 5,000 eligible voters to rival that of Kyebi, the district capital, where Nana hails from, according to Baafo Adu Amuyaw, Odikro of Densu Su, is always marginalized as regards developmental projects.

According to Asare Bediako, the young brother of the Chief, Barima Addo Gyekye II who has taken ill, in 2000, during the election period, Nana made a remark to the Apedwa township that since the town is a stronghold of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) the government should not disappoint them in terms of developments “yet when they came to power, nothing has been seen.”Sources have said that this encouraged them to believe that the NPP would never let the citizens down but things have turned the order way round.

“Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo brought hope to us in 2004, with his pronouncement, we thought that since he hails from this region, he would do us a lot of good but No!, could you imagine that Apedwa is very near to Kyebi yet Nana goes to his hometown Kyebi and does not even pass by to say hello?” A concerned citizen intimated.

Against Nana Akufo-Addo’s alleged insensitivity, the youth have vowed never to vote for any politician who comes to the area to seek their mandate. They have also vowed that they would not allow any political party to state a campaign in the town since Nana has disappointed them.Some youths which the Ghanaian Voice newspaper spoke to at Apedwa town vowed that if Nana Akufo-Addo is made to lead the NPP come 2008, “the party is set into a political oblivion”.

Asare Bediako, the younger brother of Barima Addo Gyekye II said, “Nana has really disappointed us. We trusted him to zero in on the way Kyebiman marginalized us but nothing of the sort has been done.” The Queenmother of Apedwa, Nana Asantewaa, indicated that Nana Akufo-Addo has sent about 50 cement bags for the construction of a Roman Catholic School and indicated that 50 more are left to be delivered.