2028 flagbearer aspirant of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has said he remains committed to speaking out on governance and accountability, despite the renewed tensions in the party following his recent remarks.
The former Assin Central MP was responding to criticisms from party members after Ken Agyapong accused the NPP of doing nothing to complete and operationalise the Afari Military Hospital in Ashanti region after 8 years in government.
He has expressed disappointment in the state of the facility which he says could have helped improve healthcare delivery in the country.
Ken Agyapong was reacting to a recent confrontation between some MPs of the NPP and a soldier stationed at the facility to provide security when he denied the MPs entry to the project site.
The NPP lawmakers who were denied entry at the facility accused the government of failing to complete the hospital after 15 months in office to reduce the burden on the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital which is the only referral facility serving the central and some northern belt of the country.
After a presentation to the Ghana Police Service on his birthday, Ken Agyapong told journalists he doesn’t understand why NPP MPs are accusing a 15-month old administration of not completing and operationalising the facility after failing to do so during their 8-year stay in office.
He expressed disappointment over the state of the project, describing it as a missed opportunity to improve healthcare delivery in the country. He argued that the facility, which was intended to serve both military personnel and civilians, should have been fully operational by now, considering the level of investment made in it.
Speaking on Net 2 TV, the former Chairman of the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament dismissed suggestions that his comments were made out of bitterness, insisting his remarks were borne out of national development, rather than political interests.
He accused the NPP of failing to build any hospital facility in 8 years, including completing any of the Agenda 111 Hospital project they promised.
“The NPP says I am bitter. I will not say anything to them. They think it is about what they did during the campaign. They can’t shut me down. If Ghanaians want to know, they should ask them about Agenda 111 if they were able to complete one. They sold the contracts to other people and take 10 per cent,” he alleged.
He warned party members attacking him for speaking the truth to be careful since continued attempts to dismiss or challenge his claims could force him to “spill the beans.”
“NPP should be careful with me, saying I am bitter. If they provoke me, I will spill the beans all over the place,” he warned.
Regarding sale of contracts and demanding kickbacks, the vociferous politician said the practice is not peculiar to the NPP, alleging that similar incidents have occurred in the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC).
“In the NDC too, I was there when somebody brought a contract to my wife about 55 million dollars. She was asked to pay an advance of 7 per cent before they give it to her,” he alleged.
