Police save MP from attack by angry NPP supporters

A group of people believed to be NPP sympathisers on Friday attempted to attack Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, NDC-MP for Wenchi West, for allegedly spreading lies about the government during a discussion programme on Sunyani-based Sky FM Radio.

The group, numbering over 100, rushed on the MP, forcing him and his companions to beat a fast retreat.

For over 40 minutes, he was holed up in the offices of Sky FM and was only able to escape through a back door after the police had been called in to contain the situation.

Mr Asiedu-Nketiah was whisked away in an NDC pick-up that had been parked at the other side of the building, thus compelling him to leave behind his own car to avoid a possible attack by fuming NPP sympathisers.

The car was later driven away by some young men but not without some dents as some of the angry NPP supporters banged at it a number of times.

Mr Asiedu-Nketiah had berated the government for defrauding Ghanaians and farmers in particular by claiming that the mass spraying of cocoa farms exercise was being done free of charge.

He said the exercise was being financed with half the bonuses due the farmers but which the government had withheld for the spraying exercise.

As the group began to converge on the premises of the radio station, Mr Kwadwo Yeboah-Fordjour, Regional Chairman of the NPP also stormed the studios and accused Mr Asiedu-Nketiah of deliberately spreading lies about the government, describing his comments as unfair and skewed.

The resultant exchanges forced officials of the radio station to take the programme off the air at 9.40 a.m., 20 minutes before it was scheduled to end.

Mr Kwame Enin Frimpong, News Editor of Sky FM, said it was not the intention of the station to host only Mr Asiedu-Nketiah so as to give him an unfair advantage over the NPP.

He said a letter was sent to the NPP inviting them to appear on the programme but the party rang to say that the letter came late so it could not get in touch with any of its MPs to represent it on the programme.

Mr Anthony Kusi, Regional Secretary of the NPP, however accused Mr Frimpong of twisting the facts, saying that he received the letter inviting the NPP to participate in the programme at 2 p.m. on Thursday.

Mr Kusi said since the letter specifically asked for an MP to appear on the programme at 8 a.m. on Friday, he explained it to him that it would not be possible to get an MP to feature at such a short notice.

He therefore pleaded with him to postpone the programme to the following week to which the news editor agreed.