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Kojo Oppong Nkrumah questions accuracy of January inflation rate
Former Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah has questioned whether the January inflation rate of 3.8 percent reflects what consumers are actually experiencing in the markets.
Speaking in an interview at parliament, Oppong Nkrumah said he has received messages from Ghanaians suggesting that the figure does not match market realities.
“As I’m hearing that figure, I’m also getting a lot of messages from people who are saying that what they see on the market doesn’t exactly correspond with that,” he said.
He added that when the government statistician appears before Parliament, there will be an opportunity to scrutinize the data and compare it with real market conditions.
“Many of your viewers and listeners, they buy from the markets, and they will be the best judges to tell us whether what they’re experiencing on the market is 3.8 percent or not,” Nkrumah said.
The former minister also criticized government efforts to control inflation, saying they focus on removing money from circulation rather than addressing supply-side challenges.
“The government had sterilized about 60 billion Ghana cedis from the system. In other words, that money has been sucked out of the economy, so people who want to use it to conduct transactions can’t even access it,” he explained.
He added that while the government claims inflation has been reduced, many Ghanaians continue to feel the impact of higher prices in their daily purchases.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Member of Parliament for Kpandai constituency, Matthew Nyindam, has argued that he would have defeated the National Democratic Congress candidate if a rerun election had been held, insisting that his loss was a battle against the power of the state rather than a fair contest.
Nyindam explained that his legal challenge to the 2024 parliamentary election was based on irregularities in four polling stations.
He noted that his team expected the court to address those specific concerns, not to order a fresh election across the entire constituency.
According to him, the decision to rerun the election confirmed what he described as a long standing pattern of unfair conduct by the NDC in Kpandai.
He added that he anticipated the chance to appeal the ruling but was surprised when Parliament later declared his seat vacant.
Nyindam stressed that the declaration of the seat left him feeling unfairly treated.
He maintained that he won the election clearly and believed the process that followed was aimed at removing him from Parliament prematurely.
He further stated that the situation turned into a contest between himself and the state.
He explained that running against the full weight of government made the election difficult, as ministers, MPs, chief executives and other officials were actively involved in campaigning, with resources flowing into the constituency.
Despite these challenges, Nyindam expressed confidence in his political strength, stating that under normal circumstances he would have beaten his opponent comfortably.
He added that he ultimately left the outcome in the hands of God, believing that destiny would determine whether he returned to Parliament.
Nyindam concluded that although the experience was painful, he believes it will serve a greater purpose in his political journey.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Bernard Antwi Boasiako, known as Chairman Wontumi, has admitted that the party did not achieve its desired results in the Ashanti Region during the 2024 general election but maintained that the region remained the party’s strongest support base.
Addressing the media after a post election review, Wontumi said the party quickly set up a regional committee to investigate the reasons for the loss and to propose solutions.
He explained that a subcommittee was tasked to study what went wrong and recommend ways to improve future performance.
According to him, the committee’s report highlighted both the party’s mistakes and areas that need improvement.
He noted that the party has taken lessons from the findings and is ready to make changes.
Wontumi stressed that he learns quickly and is committed to applying the recommendations.
He emphasized that despite not meeting expectations, votes from the Ashanti Region significantly contributed to the party’s overall national performance.
He explained that the region pushed the party to the final figures it recorded in the 2024 election and still produced more votes than any other region.
Wontumi added that a post mortem of the results would show that the Ashanti Region performed better than others, even though the party fell short of its target.
He described the region’s effort as commendable.
He said the party now understands what voters in the Ashanti Region expect and assured them that the NPP will engage them better and work to meet their needs in future elections.
By: Jacob Aggrey
