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‘Retract and Apologise’: Ablakwa clashes with Oppong Nkrumah over “bully pulpit” remark
Tempers nearly flared when Chairman of the Parliamentary Assurance Committee, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa strongly demanded for a retraction and apology from the Works and Housing Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah.
This follows a controversy over the delays in completing housing units for victims of the Akosombo dam spillage.
Against this backdrop, Mr. Ablakwa insisted that the Minister’s comments were inappropriate and requested a formal apology.
“Honourable Minister you will be well advised to watch your diction. You will be well advised. You will be well advised. I will not take that. To suggest that I am using this position as a bully pulpit,” he said.
He proceeded to add that, “You have to retract that because that is not what I am doing here. You must retract and apologise. I am well within my standing orders. You have to retract that. You have to retract and apologise.”
Responding to the Chairman of the Committee, Mr.Oppong Nkrumah said he has the right to defend himself against the attacks on national television.
He quizzed, “It is okay for the Chairman of the committee and the committee to accuse the Minister of being insincere, of deflecting without more and I do not have the right to answer or to share a different view?”
According to Mr.Oppong Nkrumah, “…If you choose to accuse me of insincerity of introducing red herrings of deflecting, that is not about the people. That is you accusing me and if you are accusing me I must have a right to respond.”
Despite this, Mr. Ablakwa cautioned the Minister of his choice of words, maintaining that a retraction and apology were necessary, as he was acting within his rights in accordance with parliamentary standing orders.
But Mr Nkrumah shared a different view, emphasizing that if he is accused of insincerity or introducing red herrings, he must have the right to respond.
Against this backdrop, proceedings were halted for a while for calm.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
A 30-year-old man has been sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour by the Bekwai Circuit Court for his role in a 2022 robbery at a mining site at Manso Akwasiso in the Ashanti South Region.
The convict, Dominic Ofori, also known as Fanta, was arrested on 16th February 2026 after years on the run. He pleaded guilty before the Bekwai Circuit Court to robbery contrary to Section 149 of the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 Act 29, and was accordingly sentenced to 25 years imprisonment with hard labour.
On March 20, 2022, the Manso Adubia District Police received intelligence that a group of armed men from Manso Abodom were planning to attack a mining site at Manso Akwasiso to rob the owner of gold concentrate. Acting on the information, police mounted a coordinated operation and laid an ambush at the site.
At about 5:30 pm the same day, four-armed men arrived at the site, fired indiscriminately, and robbed the miners of their gold concentrate. The police team on surveillance intervened, resulting in an exchange of gunfire.
Three of the suspects, Abu Abubakar, Musah Latif, and Gideon Takyi, sustained gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead on arrival at St Martins Catholic Hospital at Agroyesum. Dominic Ofori escaped at the time but was later arrested and put before the court.
The Ashanti South Regional Police Command has assured the public of its continued commitment to combating violent crimes and bringing offenders to justice.
The Ashanti Regional Police Command has arrested 45-year-old Isaac Boafo, also known as “Duabo King,” for allegedly publishing false news intended to cause fear and panic.
Police said the arrest follows a viral TikTok video in which Boafo claimed that four officers at the Central Police Station in Kumasi engaged in inappropriate conduct with commercial sex workers during night patrols in Asafo.
Officers from the Police Intelligence Directorate (Ashanti Region) apprehended Boafo after receiving intelligence about the video.
During questioning, he admitted to creating the video to attract views and engagement online, and acknowledged that he could not prove the allegations.
Boafo also admitted making comments about the President of the Republic for content purposes and could not defend those statements.
He has been formally charged and is in detention as investigations continue.
The Ashanti Regional Police have warned the public against publishing or sharing false information on social media, noting that such acts can cause fear, panic, and damage reputations.
They said anyone found engaging in similar conduct will face legal action.
By: Jacob Aggrey
