Former New Patriotic Party Ashanti Regional Communications Director Paul Yandoh has defended his earlier comments questioning the deployment of soldiers to work on the Accra-Kumasi Expressway, insisting he was seeking clarification and expressing concern about compensation for affected farmers.

Speaking in an interview with Kumasi-based Owia TV and shared on X on September 17, 2026, Yandoh said his comments were simply an attempt to understand the sudden decision to deploy soldiers for road-related works.

He argued that deploying military personnel often creates a power imbalance, stressing that when soldiers are stationed in a community, their presence instils fear and confusion among residents.

He also expressed uncertainty about whether affected farmers had been fully compensated.

"I was only asking why, all of a sudden, soldiers had been deployed to that area to construct the road. A soldier is a soldier; you cannot challenge him. But I am not even sure the compensation due to the farmers has been paid. People must understand my concern," he said.

“Soldiers are meant to be deployed for external operations. What has changed that they are now being sent for road construction?” he added.

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Paul Yandoh further alleged that President Mahama branded him "ignorant" after the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, reported his remarks to the presidency.

“When I raise questions, I am told I am ignorant, which I know came from Amoakohene's report. The President himself said he heard a radio commentator questioning the deployment, and I was the one. I am convinced Amoakohene reported me to the President, leading him to call me ignorant.

He noted, however, that he is currently seeking the officials responsible for what he described as the "politics of insult," in order to formally report the President, as he believes he has been subjected to an insult.

"I am searching for the officials responsible for this politics of insult, because if I had insulted the President, I would have been arrested immediately. Why then should I be insulted without consequence?

"I will not allow myself to be demeaned. I am deeply pained," Yandoh insisted.

Yandoh's statement follows President John Dramani Mahama's remarks at a recent ceremony marking the handover of the cleared right-of-way for the expressway.

Without naming him directly, the president described a radio commentator who questioned the use of soldiers for road works as "ignorant," citing historical precedents such as military involvement in opening up the Afram Plains during the PNDC era.

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The Ghana Armed Forces, particularly engineering units, have cleared more than 180 kilometres of the corridor for the major infrastructure project, focusing largely on vegetation and farmland.

Compensation payments to affected farmers are ongoing, with hundreds already reported to have received payments based on official valuations.

Yandoh has previously raised concerns that the presence of military personnel during clearing and compensation processes could intimidate residents into accepting inadequate offers.

Watch video of his remarks below.

NPP Communications Team Member, Paul Yandoh, has once again raised concerns about the military being involved in the clearing of the Accra-Kumasi Expressway and the payment of compensation to affected residents.

He expressed concern that some residents may feel intimidated by… pic.twitter.com/J8gyHTjMe6

— SIKAOFFICIAL🦍 (@SIKAOFFICIAL1) September 17, 2026