The Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, who also doubles as Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture, has debunked claims of corruption against him by his contender on the NDC ticket, Blay Armah Nyamike.

Speaking on Empire FM and Radio 360's current affairs morning programme hosted by Kwame Malcolm, Lawyer Andrew Egyapa Mercer threw a challenge to his opponent to offer a clean contest.

"I have been an MP, and before being an MP, I owned a law firm with five employed lawyers who are in active practice. Is he (Blay Nyamike) saying I cannot afford a 50th birthday party? I was born in Sekondi, and my uncle took care of us, and it is by dint of grace that I have come this far. So if he (Blay Nyamike) wants us to go dirty, we can all get abrasive, but that is not what will develop Sekondi," he said.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture also said that despite the numerous projects he has delivered for Sekondi as MP, he believes the onus lies on the constituents to decide who will lead the constituency in the upcoming December 7, 2024, polls.

Speaking on the over 30-year-old abandoned Centre for National Culture building in Fijai, Sekondi, he assured of its completion before his tenure.

"I have extensively deliberated on the extent of work to be executed to complete the CNC. Madam Eva Mends, an indigene of the Western Region and a director at the Ministry of Finance, has assured the needed finances to complete the project. Don't forget she was key, along with the likes of Hon. Joe Ghartey, to sealing the redevelopment of Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital."

"It is obvious the assurances from the finance ministry will materialize, as I have all the estimates and only a correspondence left to firm them. I am confident this will be a project that I can deliver for my six-month tenure as Minister for Tourism, Arts, and Culture," he emphasized.

The Minister of Tourism, Arts, and Culture was also optimistic about the Energy Minister, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh (Napo), being affirmed as the running mate of the NPP flagbearer. He diffused the notion that Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh is arrogant.

"I have worked as a deputy minister under him (Dr. Opoku Prempeh), and he is always standing and working in his office. You can hardly procrastinate with your work when you work with him. He definitely will move numbers for the NPP, and I am praying that he will be the one to be affirmed, as we all may have different perceptions of people. I can confirm that Napo is overly generous, and the perceptions about him are a defensive mechanism to steel himself from the heavy public bashing that public figures often take," the former deputy energy minister said.