Jinapor, Damongo MP clash over rural electrification project in West Gonja

The seeming tension between the Deputy Chief of staff, Samuel Abu Jinapor and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Damongo Constituency, Adam Mutawakilu affectionately called Galus appears to have reached a crescendo.

Residents of Damongo have since last week been bombarded with a serious radio banter between the NPP and the NDC and the supporters of the two leading politicians following a weekly radio program dubbed ‘Aboya Gbon’ on PAD FM, a local radio station in the area.

The program that hosts the MP every Sunday evening via phone to speak to his constituents saw him enumerate his achievement and efforts he is making on the hind side to extend electricity to some parts of the constituency which angered the NPP constituency to also go on air that very night according to them to set the records straight.

Mr Kweku Alhassan, a member of the team testified how Lawyer Samuel Jinapor who is believed to be eyeing the Damongo seat is making efforts to extend electricity to the villages the MP mentioned and that the MP was peddling falsehood.

He told listeners of the program how Jinapor voluntarily offered his car to transport transformers to those areas including Kabampe, accusing the MP of leaning on former President John Dramani Mahama’s achievements and challenged him to mention one single developmental achievement in his days as the DCE to his present day as a two-term lawmaker from the constituency.

Among other allegations the NPP team heaped on the lawmaker, was the claims he is behind Dr Ekwow Spio Gabrah an NDC flagbearer aspirant for which reason he ousted the former constituency executives to pave the way for a diabolic agenda.

Mr Kweku Alhassan also claimed the lawmaker never attended any of the party’s infamous unity walks lending credence to a widely held perception he did not support of the return of the former President.

These allegations somewhat infuriated the communication officer of the NDC, one Hon. Kiyoyo and the aide of the MP, Kudus Seidu who also begged for airtime on the same platform to respond to the allegations and to set what they described as the records straight.

Mr Kudus told listeners to ignore the NPP and their lies since the rural electrification program has been there before the NPP came into office.

He took listeners through how the program started and the villages that were connected under the program and those that were to benefit before the NDC government left power.

The NDC communication director on his part referred to the Deputy Chief of staff as an alien who has never voted in Damongo

He said Galus as the minority spokesperson on Energy is behind the electrification project which Abu Jinapor knows nothing about and therefore cannot turn up to claim glory for such an initiative.

When Lawyer Jinapor was later called on the show, he made it clear that all he seeks is to help his people in terms of development and not to take glory for what he is doing in the constituency.

Mr Jinapor said even the MP himself is aware that he is behind the electrification project.

“I forwarded a letter signed by the DCE to the then Energy minister Boakye Agyarko for work to commence in the communities”, he revealed.

He said the MP as the ranking member on energy, for now, can’t do anything since his common fund can never be used for any rural electrification project.

“I personally handed my vehicle to transport the transformers to the communities”, he opined.