Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya Sarah Adwoa Safo has told Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu not to call her on the phone again, First
Member of Parliament for Dome Kwabenya Sarah Adwoa Safo has told Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu not to call her on the phone again, First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusu has revealed.
The Bekwai MP told Kumasi-based Pure FM in an interview that the Majority Leader reported to him that the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection told him to get in touch only via text messaging.
“The Majority Leader communicated with her often but he told me the last time that she said he shouldn’t call again but send messages instead, which she responds to,” Mr Osei-Owusu said.
It recently come to light that Adwoa Safo was flown into Ghana on a private jet by the government of Ghana, through an arrangement spearheaded by Chief of Staff Frema Osei Opare, just so she could take part in the botched controversial e-levy vote in parliament which was scheduled to have taken place in the dying embers of last year.
Apart from the flight, the Chief of Staff also transferred some GHS120,000 into the bank account of the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection as part of measures to coax her to take part in the parliamentary proceedings concerning the e-levy.
These revelations were made by Assin Central MP Kennedy Agyapong on Tuesday, 22 February 2022 on Accra-based Asaase Radio as the maverick MP responded to some criticisms thrown at the Akufo-Addo administration and the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) by party stalwart Dr Richard Amoako Baah, in connection with calls by some prominent party figures to have Ms Safo’s seat declared vacant due to her protracted absence from parliament.
“Yesterday, I read – I don’t know how far it is true – [that] Dr Amoako Baah was saying that President Akufo-Addo has not treated Adwoa Safo well, the party has not treated Adwoa Safo well. I respect Dr Amoako Baah very well, so, I want to inform him quietly and nicely; I’ll not insult, I’ll not do anything but let him know that there are fine gentlemen and women in the party that have made several efforts to talk to Adwoa. First is the President himself. I don’t know why he has a soft spot for Adwoa Safo. Two, it’s the Chief of Staff; three is Hon. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu and myself”, Mr Agyapong began.
“Dr Amoako Baah, the treatment Adwoa Safo is giving to NPP today; if you think if Adwoa Safo’s seat is declared vacant, we are going to lose, we’ve already lost because the woman is in the name of NPP but she doesn’t come to parliament”.
“Now let me tell you; the true sons and daughters of NPP and how we think: NPP doesn’t belong to my family, it’s not an inheritance; we all, collectively believe in one ideology and joined the party, so, one person cannot impose his or her will on the party that, ‘this is the only thing that will make me join the party or do what you want me to do’. It is completely wrong”.
Mr Agyapong, who has two children with Adwoa Safo continued: “I did surgery, I was recovering; I spoke to the Chief of Staff and she said: ‘Look, rest before you come’. This same woman who said I should rest, made the call through Hon Asiamah that: ‘Look, there’s e-levy going on and we have a problem and we need you although I said you should rest, we need your vote’”.
“I flew first-class with Emirates but Hon. Asiamah, because they needed me, said: ‘Look, we are going to hire a private jet to come and pick you, people, up – Adwoa Safo, myself, Hon Henry Quartey and Hon Amoako-Attah. What I said to the minister is: ‘Please, I don’t want my name anywhere; you [give me] any flight because mine was going to be Monday and they needed the vote on Friday so the Thursday, I said, ‘any flight you get for me, I’ll come; I don’t want any private jet’”.
“Quartey drove from Philadelphia – Dr Amoako Baah should listen carefully [about] all the efforts everybody has made, the commitment that we’ve all made – Henry Quartey drove from Philadephia to New York, Kennedy Airport; Hon Amoako-Attah flew from Minnesota to New York, Airport; I drove from New Jersey to New York. Adwoa [was in] Boston – Dr Amoako Baah, what do you know – Adwoa Safo refused to come. And NPP people should listen carefully”.
“Adwoa Safo, they hired a private jet to bring the woman here and when she came she refused to come to parliament. She refused to come to parliament”.
“The Chief of Staff, after buying the ticket and flying her in, had to take a motorcade to Adwoa’s house; she [Chief of Staff] stood behind her [Adwoa Safo’s] gate for 30 minutes. What kind of rudeness is that? Before she opened [the gate]. The Chief of Staff was made to sit at her [Adwoa Safo’s] living room for 35 minutes. When she [Adwoa Safo finally] came [to parliament], Bagbin was tired, he’s sick, he can’t wait. If you can’t get your numbers, so be it and we couldn’t vote. Going back [to the USA], she [Adwoa Safo] was demanding another private jet. Excuse me. Dr Amoako Baah, I’m sorry. You don’t know what has transpired”.
“They forced me to call Adwoa Safo; I placed a call through my daughter; 13 times, she [Adwoa Safo] refused to talk to me. What do you want us to do again?”
“A chief has travelled to where she is just to convince her; she refused to come. If we lose [Dome] Kwabenya seat, we’ve already lost. By her behaviour, we’ve lost. So, if there is a by-election and we lose, we don’t lose anything. Case closed”.
“I applaud Dokua. Dokua had given birth and after two weeks, she left the baby to come here; the second one, she came. Adwoa says no and now look at her conditions: demanding to be made a deputy majority leader and the announcement of the removal of Alexander Afenyo-Markin from that position.
“I had gone to Chief of Staff’s office to plead on behalf of Adwoa; she said, ‘my brother, please don’t go there. If you are saying A, B, C, D, I’ve just spoken to her: these are her demands’. So, I said, ‘well, I’ve done my part’.
“I’ve kids with her but it’s gotten to this point. This is purely politically. I think she’s wrong. She should rather apologise to the party. They should stop begging her”.
“Adwoa Safo; Chief of Staff called me, I went there. She [Chief of Staff] said now this is what she [Adwoa Safo] is saying; I swear on my mother’s grave; Chief of Staff gave me GHS120,000, deposited in Adwoa Safo’s Fidelity Bank account. I put the money there in her Fidelity [Bank] account. Ask her PA if what I’m saying is not the truth. The way Adwoa is treating the party, it’s clearly showing that we are in opposition and this should not be tolerated at all”.
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