National chairman hopeful of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC,) Kofi Portuphy, was prevented from meeting the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu, at the Manhyia palace last Monday.

National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) boss, Mr. Kofi Portuphy, who began his week-long campaign tour of the Ashanti region last Monday, decided to pay a courtesy call on Otumfuo and seek his blessings for a successful bid to become chairman of the NDC.

However, Mr. Portuphy, who had a long queue of entourage including party faithful(s) and journalists following him, was turned away for not using the appropriate means of seeing the Asantehene.

He was told that he could not see the Otumfuo without an appointment, and therefore turned away to come when he is well prepared to meet the Asante monarch.

The shame-faced NADMO boss therefore recalled his supporters who had already began singing his praise songs to board their cars and go away, asking his schedule officers why they did not use the right channels of booking an appointment with the king.

The about 10 journalists who had been invited to join the team were left stranded at the palace until an aide to Mr. Portuphy notified them of their intention to ‘work things out well and come back on Wednesday.’

Mr. Portuphy, who later came to meet the journalists, regretted that there had been a miscommunication between his team and Manhyia, but was delighted he could meet the king on Wednesday to formally introduce himself as a chairman aspirant of the NDC.

From there, the NADMO boss met regional and constituency executives of the NDC at the Public Service Workers’ hall, also known as TUC hall in Kumasi.