58 Atwima chiefs did not endorse Akufo-Addo but...– Nana Yaw Owusu
The Asantehene’s Mpaboahene [Sandals chief], Nana Yaw Owusu has explained that chiefs in Atwima Kwanwoma of the Ashanti Region, have not declared support for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
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We did not meet anywhere to pass a resolution to say that 58 of us will vote for Akufo-Addo. We didn’t come together to endorse Akufo-Addo as they are claiming and it is not true that we said President Mahama has neglected us.
What we said was that because of our association with the NPP tradition, and since people in this area have always voted and supported the UP/NPP tradition, which we are sure they will do this year as well even though we are not sure if they will change to vote for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), when Akufo-Addo becomes President, he should help fix our roads.
In a radio interview on Accra based Montie FM Thursday afternoon, Nana Owusu said he was only reiterating what was a fact that people in Atwima Kwanwoma have always voted for the UP/NPP tradition since Kwame Nkrumah’s era.
He said as chiefs, they were aware that they were not supposed to be engaged in partisan politics but “I was only saying something that is the fact.”
Read also: 58 Chiefs in Atwima Kwanwoma pledge support for Akufo-Addo
Clarifying what transpired at the meeting with Nana Addo on Wednesday, Nana Owusu said as custom demanded, Nana Addo paid a courtesy call on them as part of his campaign tour of Ashanti region and the chiefs in Atwima Kwanwoma warmly welcomed him.
He said when Nana Addo told them he had come to plead with them to vote for him in the December elections, they welcomed the move and told him that it was a fact that Atwima Kwanwoma has always voted for the UP tradition and so they know they will vote for NPP again although they were not very sure if people will change their minds this time around for the NDC.
The chief denied ever saying President Mahama’s government had neglected Atwima Kwanwoma.
Rather he said, they told Nana Addo that should he win the election, God willing, he should help them with their road since it was in a bad condition.
Nana Owusu said after that statement, he went ahead to ask the chiefs gathered to applaud if they agreed with his statement, to which they all applauded in unison and that was all.
He reiterated that they never met anywhere to pass a resolution to support Akufo-Addo, because as chiefs they were aware that they were not supposed to be engaged in partisan politics and besides their Overlord, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has asked them not to go public and openly support political parties.
But when Akufo-Addo came to us in our hometown, we said if we do vote for you, help us, and that we think is no wrong.
Indeed politics is good and it brings about development, so as a chief there is nothing wrong to push for development in that manner.
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