Baba Jamal
Tension is mounting in the Akwatia Constituency in the Eastern region after the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Baba Jamal, accused the current MP of taking credit for development projects he undertook in the constituency.
At a press conference organised by the former MP at Akwatia on Monday, Baba Jamal, who was a former deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, as well as Employment and Labour Relations, lambasted the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament, Mercy Adu Gyamfi, popularly known as Ama Sey, for taking credit for the numerous development projects initiated by the previous Mahama administration through his efforts.
He also bashed the chiefs in the area for remaining silent for the current MP to take credit for projects he (Baba) undertook in the constituency.
But in a sharp rebuttal to the former MP, Ama Sey, stated that the former MP, Baba Jamal, is still hallucinating after suffering an electoral ‘battering.’
“I think Baba Jamal is still confused after his humiliating electoral defeat and does not know what he is talking about,” she said, adding that the only achievement by Baba Jamal in the Akwatia Constituency was to sell the Ghana Consolidated Diamond Limited (GCD) at Akwatia with the help of his government to a private person to deprive a large number of workers at GCD of their livelihoods.
According to her, in the run-up to the 2016 general elections, the former MP tried to do some of the Akwatia township roads, which were in a very bad state to woo votes, but left the roads to deteriorate after his embarrassing defeat at the polls.
She explained that she has lobbied the Ministry of Roads and Highways, which is prepared to construct 10 kilometres of the roads in Akwatia.
She also accused the former MP of deliberately organising phantom sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a major bridge linking Akwatia and Kusi in the run-up to the 2016 general elections.
“Nothing was done until the NPP assumed office for the bridge to be constructed after I lobbied the Ministry of Roads and Highways.
She said she has made arrangements for electricity to be supplied to 22 other villages in the constituency which are not connected to the national grid.
“Since I became MP in January 2017, I have given scholarships to a number of students in tertiary institutions from the constituency, assisted 100 girls to undergo apprenticeships in hairdressing and seamstressing and also provided final-year JHS students with mathematical sets.”
She said that her priority is help to restore electricity supply to residents of GCD, otherwise known as Camp, after it was disconnected due to huge debt owned by the defunct GCD company.
She also promised to provide mechanised borehole to residents of Camp, who are facing water supply challenges.
“It is never true that Baba Jamal did something about restoring electricity to Camp and my advice to him is that he should not create unnecessary tension in the Akwatia Constituency because he can never win the seat.”
By Thomas Fosu Jnr