MP`s cousin slaps chief... for defecting from sister`s camp

NANA KYEI, chief of Kagyase near Edwenase in Kumasi, was last weekend physically manhandled on his sick bed with hefty slaps by one Mr. Omono Asamoah, a cousin of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwadaso Constituency, Mad. Hilda Addo.

The assailant, Wofa Saah – as he is affectionately called by his cronies, accused the Kagyase Odikro of open support for one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary aspirants for the Kwadaso seat, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto against the incumbent, despite countless assistance received from the MP.

The Chronicle gathered that the middle-aged man, who is well built with strong muscles, after cursing Nana Kyei for switching camp, pounced on the defenceless chief and brutally assaulted him till personnel from the Ghana Police Service came to his rescue.

The incident, which happened around 11:00 pm on Sunday, during the vetting of NPP parliamentary aspirants in the Ashanti region, resulted in the tearing into shreds, the shirt of Stephen Kwame Kwakye, Assemblyman for Kwadaso electoral area and also a sympathizer of Dr. Afriyie Akoto.

Mad. Hilda confirmed the incident to the paper in an interview and indicated that the chief rather made the first move by hitting his car door against her cousin, after Omono Asamoah had approached Nana Kyei to find out why he (the chief) had distanced himself from her since both of them were like siblings.

Hon. Hilda said, she rendered an unqualified apology to the chief through his wife for the embarrassment caused him by her cousin, because he is a traditional ruler and was put on the ground during the brawl.

She promised to apologise to the chief again when she returns from a trip, together with some elders and respectable people for the matter to be settled once and for all.

Meanwhile, some residents in Kumasi are raising questions about the involvement of traditional authorities in active partisan politics despite the prohibition by the 1992 Republican Constitution.

A constitutional lawyer who pleaded anonymity, stated that the action undermines their authority and respect, and therefore urged those involved to beat a retreat for their own good while taking a cue from this incident.