Sunyani chiefs claims against Asoma-Cheremeh baseless - NPP

The Brong Ahafo Regional Youth Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwame Baffoe has indicated that the Sunyani Traditional Council has no right to prevent Asomah-Cheremeh from becoming the Regional Minister as the Traditional Council does not represent the entire Brong Ahafo region.

“Nana Addo did not appoint him (Asomah-Kyeremeh) as Regional Minister for Sunyani Region but as the Minister for the Brong Ahafo…if the chiefs dislike him, they should rather write a letter to Nana Addo to request that no MCE be brought to Sunyani because that’s their jurisdiction and not entire Brong Ahafo…,” he said on Accra-based Asempa FM.

The Sunyani Traditional Council has raised some concerns over the nomination of Mr Kwaku Asoma-Cheremeh as the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister-designate.

At a press conference at the Palace of the Sunyani Omanhene on Thursday, the Krontihene of the area, Nana Bofotia Boa Amponsem II said the conduct of Mr Asoma-Cheremeh towards the authority of the traditional council was unacceptable.

President Akufo-Addo in announcing the Bonno Ahafo Regional Minister designate on Tuesday said Mr Asoma-Cheremeh’s hard work enabled the NPP to win 20 seats in the region.

But Nana Amponsem said there is no way the traditional Council would be able to work with Mr Asoma-Cheremeh as the regional minister.

Backgound

The Paramount Chief, Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawiri, in October 2016, declared support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate John Mahama.

He predicted that John Mahama will win the 2016 election in the region with an overwhelming 80%.

READ ALSO:

The NPP, however, condemned statement from the paramount chief, describing it as unfortunate and a breach of the country’s constitution.

The Regional Chairman of the NPP Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh then indicated that the Chief "stooped to the lowest level to call on residents of the region to endorse the Presidency of Mahama".

He asked the Paramount Chief “not to have appetite for favours from the President at the expense of their subjects. Our chiefs should realize that power is transient and the word impermanence is attached to every sphere of life.”

But the Traditional Council raised concerns with the comments by the regional executives and asked the Brong Ahafo Regional Council of Elders of the NPP to compel the regional executives to apologise.

The council said Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh had undermined the authority of the Sunyani Omanhene.

But the NPP failed to apologise for the comments. This has resulted in a misunderstanding between the two factions.

The Regional Youth Organiser however indicated that Asomah-Cheremeh’s response to them at the time had the endorsement of the entire Regional Executives and members of the NPP in the region.

“We will deal with Asomah-Cheremeh if he goes to apologise…we want to reiterate that we stand by what we said, we have no regrets, the chiefs meddled in politics and that is unconstitutional so they must be told in the face…Asomah-Kyeremeh would be the Regional Minister…,” Kwame Baffoe said.

“We would never retract the statement and would emphasise that they never did well in declaring 80% for President Mahama…we will never apologise to the chiefs today or tomorrow, Nana Addo did not appoint him as Regional Minister for Sunyani Region but for the entire Brong Ahafo region,” he added.