Yamoah Ponkor Makes Bribery Confession: Or Is It An Allegation?

Has it always been like this or it’s a new phenomenon that’s shaping up our political landscape?

Suffice to say the entire political playground looks messy, dirty and filthy. It appears to be a triangulation or manipulation tactic involving the very people we gave mandate to take care of our nation. I really don’t know what is it and I don’t understand why there have been series of accusations of bribery scandal lately.

The latest one is coming Afrifa Yamoah Ponkor the former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ejuisu/Juaben. The outspoken MCE claims he gave the Assembly GHc 300.000 as bribe to tilt the assembly’s election to his favour but it didn’t work out.

Speaking to a local radio station in Kumasi Mr. Yamoah Ponkor accused the former Ashanti Regional Minister of the Mahama-administration Alexander John Ackon and Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Bosanko h of working against his second term bid in 2014.

There must surely be a cause to this entire political row. But as I alluded to I can’t pinpoint it.

It kicked off from the Parliament House late January this year. They say if gold can rust what would iron do. The eggs were incubated from the chamber of the nobles. That’s right you’d think it’s the last place one would associate them with scandal but the lawmakers got bitten by the bug. In fact what changed the game there, was the person behind the so-called bribery scandal. The accuser was one of their own (a sitting MP) and a former minister of state.

Wasn’t that repulsive enough?
He stoked the fire. Then energy minister designate was purported to have given money to the chairman of the Parliamentary Appointment Committee and he in turn gave the money to then minority leader of the house and it snowballed from there to the 10-memebrer committee that was vetting t the nominee to influence the outcome of the exercise.

And like a can in the road it was kicked from left to right, centre to the middle back to the flanks and anywhere it landed. As the cancer spread Parliament instituted investigation into the allegation. The Joe Ghartey Committee, in its final report, said it found no evidence to support allegations of bribery made by the said MP.

Presenting the report of the committee to the House, Mr. Ghartey, the Chairman of the Committee, said the accuser failed to adduce any evidence to substantiate his claim bribery.

“Everything he said was nothing more than rumours," Mr. Ghartey said, adding: Multiplicity of rumours does not constitute a fact.”

Thus, the accuser was told by the House Speaker Mike Ocquaye to go and sin no more. Bottom line the image of the august house was bruised. It’s unclear whether the respected Legislature had recovered from that deadly storm.

If one thought that melodrama would deter others, perhaps the red tide was about to rear its head. The Otiko-Bugri feud would raise the bar to another level. Theirs seemed unmatched, unbeaten and unrivaled. Invectives rained. The cows mooed. And the sheep /goats bleated. There was even an allegation of murder. There appeared to be power struggle between the two Elephant bigwigs. But none could substantiate his or her allegation. It took the intention of the President to calm the troubled waters.

The gunpowder still hangs in the air----not settled yet: But when a crocodile comes out of the Paga Lake and says it is very cold down there you need no validation. Many across the world especially Catholics do confess their sins in Churches. However, he chose a different route. Was it the right route and the right time? That I don’t know...

Sure, he didn’t do it before the Pontiff neither did he do it before the priest clad in cassock. Indeed, millions of dollars had been embezzled by our politicians and trustees and they’re looting more on a day to day basis.

Throughout my career as a journalist I’ve never heard any public official either retired or still in active service come out to say for example: I paid bribe or received bribe or I looted the state or caused financial loss to the state.

They’ve always been defensive, always belligerent and an unapologetic. Our hands are clean we never took money from the state, they would tell you. Simply ask them: Did you ever take a bribe? And the response will tickle you to death. You’d rather get a counter question like: “Me as a mayor or legislator or you mean I as John Doe? Just throw back the statement to him: You as John Doe. And the comedy and parody start to develop right there.

Often you hear them say or play the big V-card. “We’re the victims’. ‘We’re being witch-hunted’.

So what prompted Yamoah Ponkor to make his confession now?

According to Mr. Yamoah Ponkor he knew this opportunity would come and so he kept mute over it till this day. And there we go again… a pattern of wrong accusations. Or is it not? Like we’ve been witnessing lately he fingered two notable persons in Ashanti region.

Former Ashanti Regional Minister in the immediate past National Democratic Congress (NDC), Alexander John Ackon and Regional chairman of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Bernard Antwi Bosiako have been accused of working against the second term bid of a former Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ejuisu/Juaben.

The outspoken former MCE, Afrifa Yamoah Ponkor had given account as to the reasons surrounding his failure to get a second term in office despite being adjudged as the best MCE in 2014.

“Chairman Antwi Bosiako, Kofi Senya and NPP fraternity thronged to Ejuisu to work against my endorsement as MCE. They even managed to influence some government appointees who are members of NDC to vote against me”, Yamoah Ponkor alleged.

He said Mr. Ackon as then regional minister also contributed in a way which he believes went against his confirmation.

“Then Regional Minister Alexander Ackon refused to tell the Electoral Commission to organise another election because after first round, I needed only eight votes to sail through. But for reasons best known to him he and other NDC members, they did not ensure second round be organised. I kept mute over all these issues because I know a time like this will come for me. You know me I cannot just be pushed over on issues like this,” he said this on Nyira FM’s ‘Kroyemu Nsem’ programme.