The funeral of the slain New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Mfantseman, Ekow Kwansah Hayford, has been slated for Friday, November 27 to Sunday, November 29.
This was announced by the family during the one-week celebration of his death at Mankessim on Thursday.
It was a moment of tears, sadness, and sorrow as scores of mourners from all walks of life thronged the Mankessim park of the Mankessim Basic School to commensurate with the family as they marked the celebration of the MP’s death.
There was vehicular and human traffic as traders took advantage to cash in with the selling of NPP paraphernalia and that of the late MP.
Some of the mourners clad in red and black had grief and shock written on their faces as they shed tears for the late MP and called for justice for him.
Present at the ceremony were Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay, Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyeremanteng; Transport Minister, Kweku Ofori Asiamah; Central Regional Minister, Kwamena Duncan, as well as some MPs.
Mankessim Diocese of the Methodist Church presided over by Very Reverend Emmanuel Adjei urged the family and all Ghanaians to pray for the soul of the departed MP.
NPP General Secretary John Boadu, who spoke on behalf of the Party and the Presidency, assured that the MP’s death would be thoroughly investigated and perpetrators brought to book.
Consoling the family and people of Mfantseman, he touted the achievements of Mr. Hayford who he described as a “great personality” and prayed that “God would give all of us the fortitude to carry on in life”.
He pleaded with the constituents to fully cooperate with the Police by providing relevant information saying “we will need a lot of information on the ground”.
“The love shown here by the people is an indication of how well the late MP lived with the people of Mfantseman”, he stressed.
Mr Boadu charged the Party in the constituency to work hard to ensure victory for whoever will succeed him and to continue the good works.
“What we can do to honor him is to try and work hard to ensure victory for the Party. We can assure you that the good works of the late MP will be continued”, he stated.
The presidency presented cash of GHC50,000 to the family with a promise to further support the widow and children.
The Omanhen of Mankessim Traditional Area, Osagyefo Amanfo Edu VI, on behalf of the four traditional Areas in the Constituency, spoke highly of the late MP and said it would be difficult for him to be replaced.
They presented 20 crates of soft drinks, 20 cartons of water, and cash of GHC1,000 in support of the funeral.
MPs also presented GHC13,750 while the MMDCEs and Coordinating Directors also gave out GHC4,200.
The Party bore the cost of the ceremony and also presented 30 cartons of water, ten crates of soft drinks and GHC30,000 for the funeral.
Other individuals, institutions, and agencies such as the CEOs of Ghana, the Mfantseman Municipal Assembly among others took turns to present to the family cash and items towards the final funeral rites.
Mr Hayford, 50, was shot by gunmen who stopped his vehicle on the Abeadze-Dominase–Abeadze-Duadzi– Mankessim road while returning from a campaign trip on Thursday, October 8.
GNA