COALITION OF YOUTH AGAINST PROPAGANDA EXPOSES OBUOBIA -OPOKU DARKO

                        PRESS STATEMENT

MONDAY 21ST NOVEMBER, 2016
BY COALITION OF YOUTH AGAINST PROPAGANDA (CYAP)

SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, we thank you for showing up in your numbers, despite the short notice given.

We have invited you here today to file this press statement to set the records straight on lies and propaganda that are being circulated by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku and the NDC to mislead constituents of Weija-Gbawe Constituency and the general public at large to vote for her and the NDC in the upcoming December 7 elections.

Ladies and gentlemen, to give a brief background of the group; The Coalition of Youth Against Propaganda (CYAP) is a pressure group which has members from the various political divide. Our main focus is to expose lies peddled by politicians; more especially lies by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of the NDC for Weija Gbawe Constituency.
1. It is long trumpeted that, CP, Zero, Top-Base, Bulemin and Tetegu road projects which are currently under construction were lobbied or facilitated and financed by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate/Aspirant for the Weija Gbawe Constituency.

The said Parliamentary Aspirant has pictures of the roads and herself on facebook and other social media handles claiming that the projects were facilitated by her.

This claim by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku and her campaign team is false and a blatant lie to deceive constituents and the general public to vote for her in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The Coalition of Youth Against Propaganda (CYAP) states in plain language that, the said road projects were awarded for contract and financed out of revenues mobilized internally by the Ga South Municipal Assembly and also from the consolidated fund and not lobbied or facilitated and financed by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku.

On the 14th and 15th of July, this year, the Ga South Municipal Assembly in a durbar met all residence of CP and Tetegu communities respectively at the project sites and informed them about the road projects being initiated and funded by the Municipal Assembly.
However, in a town hall meeting which took place on 29th September, 2016, which saw all stakeholders of the Assembly brought together, the budget officer of the Assembly in a power point presentation revealed a midyear budget statement which captured projects for which the five major roads were included. In the budget, an estimated amount of GH₵24,028,134.72 was earmarked to complete the projects this year.

CYAP wishes to state on record that the CP, Tetegu, Top Base, Bulemin and Zero roads are projects budgeted for and financed by the Ga South Municipal Assembly and from the consolidated fund.

Also, the Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe Constituency, Hon. Rosemond Comfort Abrah and the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hon. Jerry Akwei Thompson played a major role in lobbying for the said projects.

Again, from our checks at the Municipal Assembly, it is nowhere in the records of the Assembly that the CP, Tetegu, Top Base, Bulemin and Zero roads were lobbied/facilitated and financed by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku who is desperately seeking to be elected as Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe constituency.


Further evidence will be provided to debunk the falsehood by the NDC Parliamentary Candidate and her campaign team at the end of the press conference.

2. It is also claimed by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku that the asphalt overlay from Mallam junction to Gbawe Township and also from Weija junction through Oblogo to Weija Township were lobbied or facilitated by her.

This is also another falsehood. The said asphalt overlay at Mallam, Gbawe and Weija were executed by Ministry of roads and highways under the supervision of the department of urban roads, Ga South Municipal Assembly.

In any case, is Obuobia Darko-Opoku an assembly woman or a government appointee in the Ga South Municipal Assembly? Certainly no!! Therefore for a Parliamentary Aspirant of a kind to lay false claim of government project is unfortunate.

3. Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Weija-Gbawe Constituency blatantly claims that, the foot bridge built across the drain behind Princess International School near Mallam station was constructed by her.
This claim is propaganda in the highest order meant to dribble and deceive constituents and the general public to vote for her in the upcoming general elections. The said foot bridge was constructed by the Ga South Municipal Assembly and commissioned by the Municipal Chief Executive this year. The commissioning of the project by the Municipal Chief Executive Hon. Jerry Akwei Thompson was published in the Ghanaian times on May 19th, 2016 captioned “Bridge built for Mallam” and written by Joseph Edu Archison.

4. It is purported that Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku constructed a three unit classroom block for Weija Presby School.  CYAP wishes to put on record that the said school project was constructed by a German in collaboration with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) of the School.

5. It is claimed by the NDC that Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku facilitated the construction of a 49m foot bridge over the Densu River to link Old and New Weija communities in Weija Gbawe constituency. This claim by the NDC is untrue. The said footbridge was facilitated and constructed by the Ga South Municipal Assembly. The project was duly commissioned by the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Jerry Akwei Thompson.



6. Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku keeps deceiving constituents in Weija Gbawe constituency that, Ash Bread, Choice and Ayigbe town roads were facilitated by her. Pictures of the said road projects have been posted on her facebook wall and other social media platform to lay claim that, she facilitated the projects.

This is a blatant lie. The Ash Bread, Choice and Ayigbe town road projects were initiated and financed by the Ga South Municipal Assembly out of revenue mobilized internally and from the consolidated fund. This was made known to members of the Assembly in a town hall meeting on 29th September, 2016.

7. Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku claims she has supplied street lights to communities in the Weija Gbawe constituency. The Municipal Assembly in months past supplied and installed similar street lights to lighten up various communities.

It is believed by many that Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku labeled the street lights meant for the communities with her name to lay claim of the street lights.

This act by the Parliamentary Aspirant is unfortunate and meant to deceive constituents in Weija Gbawe Constituency
7. It is a known fact that Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, and her campaign team in Weija-Gbawe Constituency are allegedly pleading with constituents to vote ‘skirt and blouse’ in the upcoming general elections.

This desperation move to ask constituents to vote ‘skirt and blouse shows the extent at which the NDC is so desperate to snatch the seat from the NPP.

A research carried out by our research department clearly shows that the Constituency is NPP strong hold and their traditional seat, therefore such plea to vote “skirt and blouse” will not wash.

It can be recalled that, on 2nd September 2016, Ms Obuobia Darko-Opoku, the NDC Parliamentary Aspirant sued three individuals from the constituency at the Accra High Court who were purported to have said that, she (Obuobia) is campaigning on “skirt and blouse”. The “skirt and blouse” This “skirt and blouse” agenda according to her is untrue, so if electorates vote for her in the upcoming general elections she will sue them all.

We therefore entreat all electorates in Weija Gbawe Constituency to treat such plea with a pinch of salt.

8.  It is on record that Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku stated on Neat fm and Okay fm that Ms.Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah is “a land guard madam” to the contrary our research  clearly shows that, Madam. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah is not a “ a land guard madam” and does not recruit land guards as asserted by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku.

However, this way of describing a contender or an aspirant in the person of Madam Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah is unfortunate on the part of Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku who portrays to be an angel to constituents in Weija Gbawe Constituency.

9. Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, who portrays to the people of Weija Gbawe Constituency as an angel sent from heaven is purported to have unleashed thugs on some people who had accompanied the New Gbawe and Gbawe electoral area Assembly Members to inspect a community project at Gravel junction on Tuesday 23rd August 2016.

The attack on the Honourable Members and the people by the said NDC thugs who were on motorbikes was baseless, useless and a threat to democracy.

It is also on record that on Friday 11th November 2016, the same thugs attacked the NPP Parliamentary candidate, Ms, Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah with stones which injured two persons of her entourage at a mini rally in Gbawe.

This act by the said thugs is barbaric, baseless and undemocratic in the history of Weija Gbawe. Such things never occurred during Hon. Sheriff Nii Otoo Dodoo’s time, when he contested for the Weija constituency seat with Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway.

10. It is claimed by the NDC that the NPP has achieved nothing in Weija Gbawe Constituency under Hon. Rosemond Comfort Abrah, the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Weija Gbawe constituency.

They further claimed Ms. Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah, the NPP Parliamentary Candidate has nothing to show as achievements or projects carried out by her. This allegation by the NDC is a mere propaganda and should be disregarded.

According to the research department of Coalition of Youth Against Propaganda (CYAP), the incumbent Member of Parliament, Hon, Rosemond Comfort Abrah, has served the constituency diligently and has achieved some laurels.

To mention a few of the achievements of the incumbent Member of Parliament, she has lobbied for the construction of a six unit classroom block with an office and an ICT lab at the Gbawe Cluster of Schools.

She has also constructed a concrete pipe culvert at Azuma to check flood and also link up Azuma with other communities.

The media will be furnished with the full details of her achievements/projects as MP for Weija Gbawe Constituency and that of Madam Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah, the Parliamentary Aspirant.

Madam Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah’s bid to become Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe constituency, has promoted economic activities of both women and men by assisting them with startup capital to start business/trade.

As we speak, she has helped 1,265 men and women in the constituency with startup capital to a start business or trade.

She has also constructed a motorable bridge to link Wiaboman and Glefe communities. The bridge is intended to facilitate easy movement of the people living in and around Wiaboman and Glefe communities.

It is important to set the records straight. The period before 2004, Weija Gbawe constituency which was part of a larger constituency and occupied by the NDC saw very little in terms of infrastructural development. The question now is what has the NDC got to show as achievements for the period they occupied from 1992-2004? The answer is certainly nothing.

In conclusion, the youth led by the Coalition of Youth Against Propaganda (CYAP) wishes to inform all electorates in Weija Gbawe Constituency and the general public that claims made by Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku are false, therefore voters should not vote for such a deceitful, dishonest, violent, propagandist, and a chameleon as a Member of Parliament for Weija Gbawe constituency.

In view of the above mentioned traits of Ms. Obuobia Darko-Opoku, CYAP and the youth endorse the candidature of Madam Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah and Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.
Thank you.

Convener
● T.D. (0508121418)

Director of Operations/Intelligence
● Taofik Latif (0242856883)

Communication Directors
● Mawuli Agbemafle (0249970097)
● Solomon Baidoo (0249000055)

Media Directors
● Michael Boadi (0233393445)