The Majority Chief Whip has predicted over 80 percent of the total votes as New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates go to the polls today, January 27.

The MP who is seeking a fourth term is in a fierce contest with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Library Authority, Hayford Siaw.

Addressing journalists after voting, he declared, “I am winning, I told you before, I predicted 80 percent; it may be more.”

The MP also commended the electoral process, stating it has been smooth and impressive so far.

“If you look at the turnout, it is impressive. I didn’t have any difficulty. Even though they wanted to give me some courtesy, I resisted it because I wanted to go through the queue and the process. I think it has been smooth, no hitches so far,” he said.

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According to him, the NPP side of Parliament will weaken as some key members are not seeking re-election.

18 incumbent NPP MPs have bowed out from Parliament including Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (Suame), First Deputy Speaker, Joe Osei Owusu (Bekwai), Atta Akyea (Abuakwa South), Joe Ghartey (Essikado Ketan), and Ken Agyapong (Assin Central).

Speaking on Ekosiisen on Asempa FM, Annoh-Dompreh stated that the party needs a strategic restructuring ahead of the general elections.

“We should be careful because all the experienced MPs are leaving. If our care isn’t taken we will constitute an inexperienced side that will worry the party. We are pleading with the party leaders to learn from this. If you have an incumbent who has shown signs of brilliance both in parliament and in the constituency, retain him,” he said.

“We have a road problem in this country and unfortunately, the burden is on the MPs so if your MP doing well, retain him. This year with the help of COCOBOD, many of our roads will be fixed,” he added.

Speaking on the floor of pParliament, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP called on the Sports Minister to do everything possible to ensure the Black Stars don’t disgrace the country in Cote d’Ivoire next month.

“Minster, you’ll agree with me that these days our Black Stars is becoming a pale shadow of itself,” Dompreh said.

“As we are heading towards another African tournament, we urge you to do everything and anything, including the changing of our national coach, if need be.

We can’t just go there and be part of the number of teams. We’ve always said that we are four-time champions; this thing is becoming old-time glory. We want to do something for ourselves and minister I know you can do it. Please help and let’s get our Black Stars in good shape” he stressed.

Ghana, four-time champions has been housed in Group B alongside Egypt, Cape Verde and Mozambique.

The Black Stars of Ghana will first come up against Cape Verde at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan on January 14, 2024, then face Egypt at the same venue four days later and then Mozambique at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on January 22, 2024.

The 34th edition of the AFCON has been scheduled to kick off from January 13 to February 11.

The former Brighton boss who signed a 21-month deal in March earlier this year has come under pressure due to the shaky performance of the Black Stars.

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The pupils had between six-ones and nine-ones from various schools in the constituency and were rewarded with assorted academic equipment and materials.

This was the maiden edition of the MP’s best BECE awards to acknowledge and reward excellence.

Mr Dompreh who doubles as the Majority Chief Whip ahead of the exams pledged his support to the candidates if they obtained desirable grades.

Addressing parents, teachers, students and educators at the awards ceremony, the MP said his motivation was the hitherto poor performance of the children in the constituency and vowed to turn things around and injected a lot into the learners.

Speaking on the theme, Prioritizing Education, Impacting Lives and Changing The Narrative, he called on parents and young people to see education as an opportunity to greater heights.

The chief of Ntoaso Traditional Area, Nii Okopti Akrong II (Dr) said the event not only celebrated students but it pushed the frontiers of education, especially when the theme gave much attention to schooling.

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He emphasised the need for digitisation to be embraced to make education a topmost focus in improving learning outcomes.

On her part, Doris Appiah-Danquah, Acting Regional Chief Inspector NaSIA, called for a collective role among stakeholders in the pursuit of education at all levels adding that there was a need for legislation to regulate the time students allocated to their books even at home to project learning and teaching.

Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has apologised for any ‘offensive’ words he may have used against former Trade and Industry Minister and aspiring flagbearer of the NPP, Alan Kyeremanten.

A member of Mr Kyerematen’s campaign team and former Adentan MP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, had said Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia will not be a good messenger in 2024 because he is responsible for the economic hardship.

Reacting to the comments, the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP indicated blaming the economic hardship all on Dr Bawumia is unfair as many people make up the economic team.

Setting the records straight, Mr Dompreh explained his comments that Mr Kyeremanten is equally to be blamed for the country’s economic hardship was not borne out of disrespect.

“Alan Kyerematen is someone I respect so much because I have worked with him so I cannot speak ill of him and that is not even my style of politics. I don’t insult elderly people but if it appeared so, I apologise.

“I was explaining that if Buaben Asamoa’s argument was that Dr Bawumia has run down the economy, then Alan Kyeremanten with respect to him, was the chairman of the cabinet sub-committee on economic management so he is involved in the mess.

“The country has many challenges, you can’t tell me that Dr Bawumia has run down the economy, that would be most unfair,” he said on Accra-based Neat FM.

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He urged aspirants for the party’s flagbearership to focus on their campaigns and stop the blame game. 

“Everyone should focus on their campaign but no one should make it a point to attribute everything about the current economic hardship to Dr Bawumia, else they’ll have me to contend with.”

Mr Dompreh indicated that Dr Bawumia is the best candidate, as flagbearer of the NPP in the 2024 elections. 

He explained that Dr Bawumia is the only candidate with the ability to pierce the strongholds of the National Democratic Congress, especially the Northern Regions, and ‘Zongo’ communities to deprive them of their chances to assume the NPP’s position as the party in government.

According to him, he will die a fulfilled man if God calls him today, knowing very well he led a path to increase access to scholarships in Ghana.

He said this on Adom TV’s Badwam when he recounted his struggles as a university student who had to borrow money to pay his fees.

“While entering the university, I had to go for a loan against my SSNIT loan to pay fees and it was through that I managed to complete school. I have three masters at the moment and I have plans to start my PHD early next year or later this year,” he said.

The Majority Chief Whip indicated it was not an easy course but he managed to succeed due to persistence and consistency.

“I used to go to the scholarship secretarit and sit there for monitoring but I realised people will travel from far and near just to acquire scholarships. They will spend the whole day at the secretariat and nobody will attend to them.

“So I took it upon myself to ensure the process is decentralised and my first statement about it in parliament was when Doe Adjaho was the Speaker but it wasn’t given any attention and when we came into power, I continued with the call and now, people go through a smooth and transparent system at the District levels for scholarships without travelling all the way to Accra,” he recounted.

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He continued, “As a politician, I will die fulfilled if God calls me today because of what we did. It gives me a self fulfilmeent considering where I came from.”

The Registrar of the Secretariat, Kingsley Agyemang on April 15, 2021, presented a citation to the lawmaker in recognition of his role.

The Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP has asked the former Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to hit the ground and help the party recapture the Adentan seat.

Mr Buaben lost his seat to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) candidate in the 2020 election.

Mr Buaben polled 14,181 less votes than his opponent and managed 49,436 votes as against 63,255 votes polled by Mohammed Adamu Ramadan.

But speaking on Adom TV Badwam, Annoh Dompreh stated the NPP was struggling with its numbers, hence Mr Asamoa should go back to win his seat.

“I have heard the tantrums Yaw Buaben is throwing. He said Bawumia is running down the economy. Buaben is a fantastic guy but he got this wrong and I will tell him this; he should go and win the Adentan seat and stop saying things he doesn’t know because we are struggling with numbers in parliament,” he advised.

His comments come after Mr Buaben rubbished polls by International Ghana and the Centre for Sustainable African Development Initiatives (C-SADI) UK predicting victory for Vice President Dr Bawumia in the NPP Presidential primaries.

The former lawmaker said that the poll is not credible and is mere propaganda, adding that Dr Bawumia associating himself with the polls affects his credibility.

As a member of former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen‘s campaign team, he said the former performed to satisfaction as the Minister of Trade and Industry.

He stated Alan is the best bet as he brings a different style of leadership which focuses on business.

But to Annoh Dompreh, there is no doubt Mr Kyerematen is good when it comes to trade issues but there is currently a sweeping current and Bawumia will win the primaries.

“I haven’t seen anybody yet who understands trade issues than Alan Kyerematen but the governance of the country goes beyond trade issues.

“Yaw Buaben is saying Bawumia is running down the economy but he should go and check the architecture of the cabinet; Alan was the Chairman of the Economic Management Committee of cabinet because of his experience and portfolio as a Trade Minister,” he challenged.

Annoh Dompreh indicated Dr Bawumia was the favourite of many and the grounds are fertile for him.

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“Only two MPs followed Alan to Manhyia when he went to greet Otumfuo but you will be shocked at the numbers that will accompany Bawumia when we go to Manhyia,” he noted.

He says such concurrent investigations by two public institutions are never done anywhere in the world.

At best, he said Parliament could wait for the Police to conclude its investigations and if their findings are not convincing enough, they could then launch their own inquiries into the matter.

“Mr Speaker, the IGP has issued some orders – that investigation is conducted into this matter. I don’t think Parliament should at the same time begin another investigation. For two public institutions to concurrently conduct investigations into the same matter is a matter that is worrying”, he noted.

He added, “Parliament should wait for the Police to conclude their investigations into the matter”.

The Nsawam-Adoagyiri lawmaker’s call came at the back of pleas from the Minority Chief Whip and MP for Asawase, Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka to the House to task the Committee on Defence and Interior to probe the demonstration by some students of the Islamic SHS in Kumasi during which more than 30 students sustained various degrees of injuries from alleged police attacks.

Alhaji Muntaka had on Tuesday, June 14, 2022, called on the August House to probe the alleged Police brutalities on the students after giving a vivid account of what transpired on the campus of the school on Monday.

“Mr Speaker, last week Friday, 10th of June 2022, one of the teachers of the school by name Madam Francisca was driving out of the school and an over speeding vehicle hit her vehicle into a ditch. She was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.

“Unfortunately on Monday, there were rumours for the students to believe that Madam Francisca was dead, and therefore in the morning, instead of the students going to school, they decided to converge in front of the school to register their displeasure about the lack of speed ramps the school has complained about severally and road signs to get speeding vehicles to slow down.

“Fortunately, the teachers and the Headmaster, and some police officers managed to get all these students back into the campus and even locked the school gate. Unfortunately, another batch of police officers came. When they came and got down, according to firsthand information from the school authority, they broke through the school gate, entered the school campus, and while the Headmaster was drawing their attention to fact that the situation was under control, they started firing tear gas and live ammunition. They chased some of the students into the dormitories and the classrooms and in the course of that, 38 students of Islamic SHS sustained various degrees of injuries”, he narrated.

He described the situation as worrying, especially, at a time the implementation of the Ejura report has been very poor.

“Yes the IGP has taken some steps. We are told that the IGP has removed the 2IC in the Ashanti Region and two other officers have been interdicted but Mr Speaker, this is not enough. We know how the Police have operated in the past. I am calling on this House that as a matter of urgency, I remember very well that last week you made several referrals to the Defence and Interior Committee of some of the brutalities from Wa, Nkoranza.

“We should add this to the Defence and Interior Committee and because this has just happened, I want to plead that they will have fresh information and will be able to do a public hearing on the matter,” he pleaded.

Mr Annoh-Dompreh commenting further commended Muntaka for raising the matter on the floor of the House. He also commended the IGP for his swift response to the incident by moving to the scene to restore peace and order and going further to remove the 2IC in the Region and interdicting two other officers.

However, he said he has also received a different account of the incident and disagreed with calls by Alhaji Muntaka for Parliament to launch immediate investigations into the matter when the Police are already doing that.

The Speaker directed the Defence and Interior Committee to visit the IGP and the Ashanti Regional Police Command over the incident. He also directed the Committee to visit the Islamic SHS, the hospitals where the injured students have been admitted and see to their welfare and report back to the House next week Tuesday, June 21, 2022.

“I think that our security officers should not in such cases, be releasing police with live bullets on such situations.

“But if the Police are actually investigating the matter now, what we can do as a House is to immediately show concern. Let the Police know that we are awaiting their report and then after the report, we are entitled to take further action,” he noted.

According to the Nsawam Adoagyiri Member of Parliament (MP), he cannot fathom why Miss Safo will punish the government in such a manner.

To him, the party has done a lot to which Miss Safo needs to be grateful for rather than repay it in the manner she’s doing by holding the party to ransom.

Reports were rife that Miss Safo who has been in the US since August 2021 is asking for the Deputy Majority Leader job in Parliament as a condition for her return to the country.

Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, when asked about it indicated he is not aware of such demands.

But, in a new development, Mr Annoh-Dompreh has indicated his readiness to relinquish his position if it is what his colleague wants.

“What wrong have we done for her to treat us this way. I have vowed that if she wants my position as the Chief Whip, she can say it and I will give it to her and stay away,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Okay FM.

He added that his colleague should tread cautiously, stating her actions do not speak well for her political career.

“If she has a conscience, she must rethink her decision. She is not punishing the government but herself and if I was her, with where issues have gotten to, I would set apart a whole day and weep,” he bemoaned.

Listen to the attached audio for more.

This statement comes after stakeholders at Nsawam opened up on the challenges saddling health facilities in the municipality which need support.

Speaking to Joy News, the Municipal Health Director, Madam Eunice Abuaku, said that the MP for Nsawam has been supportive, yet there are other challenges that needed attention.

With an increasing population, coupled with road crashes on that stretch the health facilities readily offer the needed assistance to emergencies.

However, this usually exceeds the capacity of the health facilities.

Mr Dompreh, during a hand over ceremony of beds to 13 health facilities in the Constituency, noted that his visit to some of the facilities revealed a lack of beds, particularly in the maternity wards.

He mentioned that his group has procured some hospital equipment and supported the construction of a maternity ward at the Nsawam Government Hospital to facilitate quality health delivery.

To him, discussions on the construction of the First Christian Teaching Hospital were near conclusion with partners in the United States of America.

He was optimistic the Teaching Hospital will help reduce the pressure on existing facilities especially, emergency cases.

Madam Abuaku, meanwhile, called for effective collaboration to deal with the health needs of the people.