The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has broken his silence on media reports that he has kicked off his presidential ambition to replace President Nana Akufo-Addo for the New Patriotic Party’s 2024 presidential slot.
Over the weekend, Dr Akoto reportedly initiated a private meeting with some top-notch power brokers of the New Patriotic Party in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.
At the said meeting, he made his presidential ambition known to those who gathered, which included some constituency chairmen in the Ashanti Region, according to media reports.
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But Dr Akoto has clarified claims that he held a meeting with some party executives to announce his intention.
The Minister, in a statement, said those behind such outrageous claims are only courting public disaffection for his person.
The Minister said he was only in Kumasi to rest after he suffered from a fever after the reading of the budget.
Dr Akoto, however, failed to confirm or deny in his statement whether he will contest the presidency when nominations are opened or not.
“I decided to go to Kumasi and have some rest during the weekend and try to recover from a fever after I attended the budget reading in Parliament on Friday, March 12, 2021.
“As a former Member of Parliament in the region and as a senior member of this government, I accepted to grant audience to some party executives who had been making calls for a meeting to discuss matters concerning the welfare of the party,” he said.
Below is the full statement:
