Assembly members of the Bolgatanga East District in the Upper East Region of Ghana have expressed their discontent regarding the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate, Mr. Mathew Silas Amoah, pasting campaign posters on the District Road Improvement Programme (DRIP) equipment.
The assembly members also accused the Bolgatanga East District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Albert Agana, of politicizing the DRIP equipment. This accusation arose after the DCE announced that the assembly could not fuel the equipment for essential activities following its distribution by the government. Amid pressure from the community, Mr. Amoah offered to support the assembly by providing fuel until the government completed the fueling process.
Gambigo Assembly member raised concerns, stating that Mr. Amoah was not a member of the assembly and criticized the DCE for failing to consult them. He warned that the local Member of Parliament, who is also a politician, would not be pleased with the DCE’s actions and urged him to refrain from such practices.
Mr. Roger Akazabere, the assembly member for Zuarungu-Katanga, also opposed the placement of Mr. Amoah’s posters on the DRIP equipment. He requested their removal to prevent a situation similar to what occurred in Gomoa West in the Central Region, which he believed the DCE was aware of.
Naba Patrick Asaliya, the chief of Yarigabisi and acting president of the Bolgatanga Traditional Council, also pleaded with the DCE to remove the posters. He emphasized that traditional leaders do not want to be associated with any negative backlash related to the posters, which could tarnish their reputation. He noted, “If anything happens to the equipment, the people of Bolgatanga East will say that we as traditional leaders were there when such things happened, which will not bode well for us.”
In response, DCE Mr. Albert Agana explained that the delay in deploying the DRIP equipment was due to the assembly’s inability to fund the fueling. He stated that Mr. Amoah’s offer to assist with fuel was a temporary solution until the assembly could reimburse him once the government provided funds.
Mr. Agana highlighted the community’s need for improved road connectivity, particularly the Bolgatanga-Bawku-Pulmakon road at the Kolaa River.
In a sharp rebuttal to the assembly members’ concerns, Mr. Agana remarked, “The fact of the matter is that it’s politics that brought this equipment. That is an undeniable fact that it is politics that brought this equipment. They have their point because we have different assembly members who are from different political parties, and I made it known to them that even the Ayalolo buses were branded with the former president’s pictures. So putting these pictures is nothing, and in any case, it is the parliamentary candidate that has provided the fuel.”
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya.
.