Ashanti Chiefs Promise To Sponsor NPP Delegates

…With Food, T&T – Says Wontumi

All expenses covering transportation and food for delegates from the Ashanti Region in next weekend’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential election will be catered for by some chiefs and elders in the region.

The Ashanti Regional chairman of the NPP, Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, who made the disclosure ahead of the elections dated for Saturday, November 4, said the gesture is to express and show love to the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, who is one of the candidates and a frontrunner in the race.

Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, famously known as “Chairman Wontumi,” who is one of the ardent supporters of the vice president, said he personally received the calls informing him of the gesture.

The support from the chiefs, elders and supporters of the party also include accommodation and other expenses likely to be incurred by delegates during the National Delegates Conference.

“This morning, I had a call from Ashanti [Region] and they told me that some of the chiefs and some elders in Ashanti, they told me that on 4th November, the lorry fares and food the delegates are going to eat. They said they want to take all the expenses on 4th November.

“This is the kind of love the Ashantis want to show NPP. This is the love the Ashantis want to show Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,” he said, in a viral video sighted by The Anchor.

He is said to have made the remarks during one of their recent campaign tours in the region where many of the bigwigs supporting Dr. Bawumia and delegates were present.

According to him, the purported gesture from the chiefs was also to show appreciation to the entire NPP, which has its stronghold in the region.

The governing party on coming Saturday will be seeking to elect its flagbearer for the 2024 general election. Dr.Bawumia, who has been tipped by various surveys to win the contest, came tops during the party’s Super Delegates Conference held in August, this year.

He will be coming against the likes of the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Assin Central constituency, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, former Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto and former MP for Mampong constituency, Francis Addai Nimo.

Meanwhile, the campaign team of Dr. Bawumia has responded to the latest allegation by Kennedy Ohene Agyapong that he was offered $800million to step down for the former.

Speaking on Kumasi-based Time FM over the weekend, Mr. Agyapong, who placed 2nd in the August 26 Super Delegates Conference, claimed he was offered the colossal amount but he rejected same.

He also debunked reports that he requested $500million as a precondition to take the decision.

But the camp of Dr. Bawumia says this is a rehash of similar allegations by the lawmaker in the past few weeks.

“The Vice President, Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, has not met privately with Kennedy Agyapong since he entered the race,” the response signed by Spokesperson Dr. Gideon Boako on Monday, October 30 noted.

“The Vice President has never instructed anybody to meet with Kennedy Agyapong, or his assigns to negotiate anything in respect of this contest.

“The Vice President and his team consider this $800million claim as absolutely ridiculous, and it shows gross disregard for the intelligence of Ghanaians,” it stated.

It added that Dr. Bawumia has always been confident that he will beat Mr. Agyapong and the two others on Saturday, November 4 to be the 2024 flagbearer of the NPP.

“Dr. Bawumia is, and has always been confident that by the Grace of God, he will defeat Hon. Kennedy Agyapong quite well on November 4th and has never entertained any wish for him to step down from the contest.

“It is instructive to note that the latest allegation by Kennedy Agyapong, is a rehash of a similar allegation he made about a month ago, claiming without proof, that he was offered money to step down and be a running mate to Dr. Bawumia – a baseless claim we publicly denied on September 30, 2023,” it added.

The response maintained that Dr. Bawumia is a man noted for his modesty and he remains committed to his life-long values of serving people.

It reiterated the Vice President’s commitment to running a decent campaign “devoid of personality attacks, lies, and insults to preserve the unity of our great party.”

Source: Anchorghana.com