Former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ejisu Juaben Municipal Assembly in the Ashanti Region, Yamoah Ponkoh has revealed that he paid bribes to the assembly members of Ejisu to have him approved as the MCE but still voted against him.
According to him, he paid a GHC 1,500 each the over 70 assembly members most of whom are NPP supporters to get his nomination approved.
He claimed that he could however not sail through because the Ashanti Regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, Bernard Antwi-Bosiako popularly known as ‘Chairman Wontumi’ influenced some Assembly Members to reject him.
“When former President Mahama named me as the MCE, Chairman Wontumi tried all he could by threatening that he will make sure I am rejected and because I still wanted to become the MCE, I decided to bribe them because they asked for it especially the NPP members but they still voted against me and became news in the country that I have been rejected.
“Even after collecting my money, they (the assembly members) voted against me… I took a loan to pay these members but they rejected me. I spent over ¢3 billion (GHC300,000) and I’m still paying,” he said on Accra based Neat fm.
Mr Yamoah Ponkoh made those revelations after a former Government Appointee at the Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Assembly, Richmond Frimpong, petitioned the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate Madam Beatrice Serwaa Derkye for allegedly bribing Members of the Assembly to get her nomination approved as the Chief Executive for the area.
According to him, the nominee at a meeting with almost all the Members of the Assembly at the Anita Hotel on Thursday, May 11, 2017, allegedly paid some money and sought for their support to become the next Municipal Chief Executive for the area.
Each elected Member, he noted, was offered GH₵2,000.00 with each Government Appointee taking home GH₵500.00.
The alleged act, Frimpong argued, cannot be allowed to gain grounds in the country’s contemporary politics and therefore wants it investigated in order to bring an abrupt end to it.
Mr Ponkoh, who is a leading member of the NDC first occupied the MCE position in May 2011 under late President, John Evans Atta Mills, but was sacked during the John Mahama administration in July 2015.
He was, however, renominated for the same position in 2016 but was rejected twice by assembly members.
Commenting on the issue, Mr Yamoah Ponkoh said it is not surprising that a nominee will give bribes to be approved and still be rejected.
“It is very common in our everyday politics that a President nominee who wants to be approved will give bribe and so it is not surprising that the woman nominee even after her bribery allegation was still rejected” he noted.
Mr Yamoah Ponkoh alleged that Chairman Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, civil servants together with some Assembly members have hatched heinous plans to prevent Madam Serwaa Derchi from being confirmed.
Listen to Yamoah Ponkoh
However, Chairman Wontumi when contacted denied the claims leveled against him by the former MCE.
According to him, the Assembly members in Ejisu are not corrupt and therefore will not receive bribes to approve a nominee.
“The Assembly members in Ejisu are not corrupt and will not take bribe to approve a person and so Yamoah Ponkoh should shut up and stop lying against me and the assembly members” he cried.
This notwithstanding, Chairman Wontumi noted that he will meet with the Assembly members to see the way forward.