Sarpong’s dismissal part of Mahama's 1-million Ashanti vote plot – Minority

The Minority’s Ashanti Caucus in Parliament has read conspiratorial and political meanings into President John Mahama’s recent dismissal of Ashanti Regional Minister Samuel Sarpong and his deputy Joseph Yammin.

The Caucus is suspicious that the move is part of a grand plan by the President and the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to bag one million votes in the main opposition New Patriotic Party’s stronghold in the 2016 elections.

Mr Sarpong and Mr Yammin were relieved of their posts with immediate effect on Wednesday following disturbances in the governing party’s Ashanti regional office.

There is no love lost between the two politicians, according to sources within the party.

The NPP’s Ashanti Caucus led by Elizabeth Agyemang told Starr News’ Ibrahim Alhassan in an interview Wednesday that even though the disturbances at the NDC’s regional office appears to have coincided with or led to the dismissal of the two Ministers, the President may have had an ulterior motive behind the exercise of his powers.

“My question is why now? We know what they are trying to do in Ashanti region; nobody should tell me about what they are planning to do: we know it, but we are also alert.

“He [Mr Mahama] has been planning to have about one million votes over there, [but] over my dead body!

“They will never get it,” she exclaimed. The Lawmaker also questioned why the President has directed the Brong Ahafo regional Minister to steer the affairs of the region in the interim.

“Why is he bringing somebody from Brong Ahafo? And so who is going to take care of Brong Ahafo too? The region shouldn’t be there without a regional minister,” the Oforikrom MP said.

According to her, the sacked Minister “is a fine gentleman anybody can work with,” and, therefore, wondered why the President has had to fire him.