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I’ve been vindicated by Otumfuo’s action against some of his chiefs – Odike
The founder of the now-defunct United Progressive Party (UPP), Akwasi Addai Odike, says he feels vindicated following the destoolment of four chiefs by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, over various breaches.
In August 2022, Odike was banished from Kumasi by the Ashanti Traditional Council due to comments he made alleging the involvement or condoning of illegal mining activities by some chiefs.
In an exclusive interview with Citi News, Odike affirmed that the recent actions taken by the Otumfuo validate his previous remarks.
“Today, Otumfuo Osei Tutu’s actions buttress my initial assertion that it is the chiefs who are being used to destroy our environment through land degradation and water pollution. And at that time they misconstrued my claims but when Otumfuo came from his visit he has destooled some of his chiefs… because of their direct involvement in galamsey activities. Now the truth always stands and whenever you hear Odike talking, it is about the truth. It is about the security of this nation, it is about the future of our people.”
“Of course, I feel vindicated, and I am happy because they nearly killed me in my office in Kumasi, and it was all over, CNN captured everything. And today if I were to be in my grave it would be exactly one year but the almighty God who always fought for goodness sent unseen forces to protect me. You see, the leadership of this country is not only political, and religious leadership. Political leadership and the chieftaincy leadership have failed this country.”
“If not all of them are involved in these nefarious activities and bedevilling this country, they have sat aloof and unconcerned for criminals in this country to operate hence the kind of suffering we’re experiencing.”
He emphasized that he owes no one an apology and asserted his intention to make a triumphant entry into Kumasi in the upcoming days.
His purpose is to campaign for votes ahead of the 2024 general elections as leader of the Union Government, a movement he intends to launch after the Electoral Commission banned his party.
Credit:Citinewsroom.com
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
