The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Ellembelle, Kwasi Bonzo has asked the Member of Parliament for the area Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to desist from taking credit for projects initiated by the Assembly.
The DCE was addressing a press conference to refute claims by the MP that he paid for the construction of a road in the community and he (the DCE) came to stop the contractors from doing the work.
According to the DCE, it is in the character of the MP to always throw dust into the eyes of the public and to create the impression as though he, the DCE is against the development of Ellembelle.
A video is being circulated with the MP and the DCE engaging in a near-brawl over a road under construction in the area.
The video which has gone viral shows the two engaged in a heated exchange in the middle of the said road.
Meanwhile, according to the MP, he had assigned some individuals to patch potholes on the road and the DCE came to stop them because he claimed the road had been given on contract and work was ongoing.
“Don’t you know the road is under contract? Don’t you know it is under contract? It is cheap politics,” the DCE said angrily in the video.
“Don’t start; if this road is under contract, is it motorable? Buy fuel for the contractor to fix the road. You are here, and I came from Accra to fix the road, and you have a problem,” the MP, who is also the Deputy Minority Leader, is also heard saying.
But it addressing the issue, the DCE pointed out that the said road which is part of the 217.2-kilometre-road is under construction and being handled by five contractors.
According to him, the project was awarded in 2019 and work started in 2020 and currently at various levels of construction.
He explained that when he took office as DCE, he personally wrote letters seeking for funding to construct the roads until GNPC agreed to support.
“It took my efforts over two years of lobbying before we got GNPC to agree to construct over 150kilometres of the road in our district,” Kwasi Bonzo said.
Kwasi Bonzo averred that, when the contract was signed, he personally on September 14, took the contractors to site and handed over the site to Memphis Metropolitan Limited.
“Work started and because the project was initiated by the Assembly, Feeder roads, GNPC and the Assembly have been having series of management meetings on progress of work. St these meetings, we invite all contractors and other beneficiary districts. The last meeting, we had was in December 2022,” he said.
He explained that the rains in the area caused some havoc to the ongoing construction hence the decision by the contractor to halt work.
However, he said, realising that portions of the road have become unmotorable due to the constant rains, he spoke to the contractor and drew his attention to the situation since it is the contractor’s obligation to maintain the road at all times until it is completed and handed over to government.
Kwasi Bonzo note that on Tuesday, the MP caused public announcement informing the community that he had caused someone to do reshaping of the road.
He said, the Assembly which is the supervisory authority has not been informed about any reshaping so he called the contractor to inquire from him if the MCE had contracted him to do any reshaping of the road which is under his care.
“I went to the site and saw people working. The MP came out of his car with lots of people following him.”
According to him, there ensued a heated argument between him and the MP who claimed to have giving money to the contractor to buy fuel to the site to do the work.
Meanwhile he said, “When I called the contractor, he said he had not received a penny from the MP.”.
“The MP decided to lie that he was fixing the road and I came in to stop him. How can somebody of MP repute, unless he is ignorant of Contractual agreements, but I am sure he is not ignorant but deliberate to cause a scene,” Kwasi Bonzo said.
He also described the MP’s claims that the contractor was out of funds and he (MP) gave out money for him to continue the project, describing that claim as “ridiculous,” and that Memphis is currently constructing several roads of 300 million Cedis road; all awarded in 2019 and 2020, and cannot say that there is no money for it to purchase fuel to site.
The DCE, Kwasi Bonzo pointed out that the MP has just decided to destroy him with lies and that “The MP was not fixing any road and he came to stop it.”
He asked the MP to stay within his lane and allow the Assembly which he heads as the DCE to continue with the development of the area.
He also asked the MP to stop the “cheap politics” and find something better to do to support his constituents and stop trying to claim credit for what he hasn’t done.
