Central Region Mourns Amissah-Arthur

Cape Coast, Moree and the entire Central Region had been thrown into a state of shock and grief by the sudden death of former Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

A large crowd of mourners', including executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the clergy and other high profile personalities within the Cape Coast Metropolis thronged the residence of his mother to offer their condolences.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited, the bereaved family members were struggling to break the news to the 92-year old mother of the former Vice President.

Many of the people in Cape Coast and Moree, dressed in red and black, were simply inconsolable and wept bitterly.

Ebusaupanyin Kwesi Abekah, spokesperson for the family, told the GNA that they received the shocking news at about 0645 hours.

They first dismissed it as a rumour only for their relatives in Accra to confirm that Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur was indeed dead.

The late Vice President had a strong relationship with his mother and therefore it was difficult to inform her about his passing.

Eventually, with the help of the Bishop of the Wesely Methodist Church, the Very Reverend Richardson Andam and some elders, the mother was told about the death of her son at about 1100 hours.

Mr Korankye Taylor, the newly elected Cape Coast South Constituency Chairman of the NDC, said "it is hard to believe because I was with him last Saturday and he showed no signs of someone who was sick.

I am devastated and I pray he rests well in the bossom of our Lord", he added.

Meanwhile, the leadership of the NDC in the region had in a statement put on hold all planned political activities in the region scheduled for the weekend including constituency conferences for Assin South and Gomoa Central.

The former Vice president was reported to have collapsed at the Air force Gym on Friday morning during a workout session, and was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

He was the sixth Vice-President of the Republic of Ghana and served in the office from August 06, 2012, until January 07, 2017, under President John Dramani Mahama.

Before he became the Vice President, he was the Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 2009 to 2012.

GNA
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA