The Association of Ashanti Regional Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries has vehemently refuted claims alleging that they rejected the Deputy Minister for Local Government and MP for Offinso North Constituency, Augustine Collins Ntim at a meeting.

According to the group, any such claims now making the rounds on social media are malicious, and they are entreating people to consider them as such.

In a press conference addressed by Samuel Asare Brew, Dean of the Ashanti Regional Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries, he said the MP came to meet some herbalists at the office of the Vice President in Asokwa-Kumasi, where their meeting was being held.

According to him, the minister was received with a resounding welcome by the secretaries, although there was no pre-arrangement for such a meeting.

Read the full statement below:

Ladies and gentlemen, it will be recalled that, as a staunch patriot and nationalist, it is incumbent on any well-meaning Ghanaian who gets the opportunity to meet fellow patriots to speak on the good works of the NPP government. It is in this light that the Hon. Augustine Collins Ntim, Member of Parliament for Offinso North in the Ashanti Region, on his travels to Kumasi to meet with a team of licensed herbalists, took the opportunity to address the gathering of the Ashanti Regional Association of Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries' meeting last Sunday in Asokwa.

To set the records straight and to let the general public know the truth about the pronouncements that were made in the interest of the party, which some have misconstrued, we wish to emphatically state that:

The Honourable MP came purposefully to meet up with the licensed herbalists in Kumasi.

The Honourable MP did not convene any pre-planned meetings with the Ashanti Secretaries and their assistants.

The Ashanti Regional Association of Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries had already scheduled their meeting to:

Discuss the extension of the limited voter registration by the Electoral Commission to know how best to get things done.

Plan a capacity-building workshop/training for all members.

Discuss how some executives of the association who have now become parliamentary candidates could be supported and groom others to take over from them as secretaries and assistant secretaries in the region.

In the foregoing, we, the Ashanti Secretaries and Assistants, wish to re-echo what the Honourable Collins Ntim said as being favourable, well-intended, optimistic, and politically expedient to the growth and expansion of the NPP in breaking the 8.

Ladies and gentlemen, the Hon. Collins Ntim, in his address, rather urged members to be supportive of the current government and revealed that his ministry (Ministry of Local Government) has procured equipment for all MMDAs in the entire country to enhance work in the MMDAs.

It was after this that he indicated that, through the office of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF), headed by Hon. Irene Naa Toshie, our government has been able to procure road construction equipment for every Assembly in Ghana. He further said that he strongly believes that with this single project in the local government for the road sector, breaking the 8 is more than possible.

Secondly, Hon. Ntim said through Hon. Naa Toshie that certain markets in the Ashanti Region which have been stalled for many years, such as Krofrom Market, Suame Market, Mamponteng, etc., are going to see completion through DACF.

He further urged members to embrace whoever our flagbearer will select as a vice candidate. We therefore find it extremely surprising, unethical, and unpatriotic for some people who were not part of this said meeting to deliberately cause this noble Association of Ashanti Regional Secretaries'.

Ladies and gentlemen, in our view, potential Vice Presidential candidates should have the following characteristics, but not limited to:

The moral compass

Integrity and honesty

Compassion and empathy

Commitment to service

Bridge-building and reconciliation, etc.

These qualities and skills, coupled with competence, qualification, experience, and relevant skills, would serve the interest of Ghanaians very well and project the NPP to the entire globe.

This, we believe, is a good call by Augustine Collins Ntim, and we are glad to associate with his call. We also urge all Ghanaians to respond to this call, especially the NPP faithful, by breaking the 8.