Lawyer and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ejisu, Dr John Ampontuah Kumah has refuted accusations of forcefully taking over lands in Ejisu, describing them as baseless and without merit.
In a statement to counter the claims made by a woman which is circulating in a viral video on various media and social media platforms, Dr Kumah said he had taken notice of the development and would like to refute those accusations and set the record straight regarding the true events surrounding the acquisition and use of the said land.
“I have taken notice of a viral video where a woman accuses me of taking over lands that do not belong to me – I would like to refute these baseless claims and set the record straight regarding the true events surrounding the acquisition and use of the said land,” the statement said.
Dr Kumah said during his campaign to become the MP for Ejisu, he made a solemn promise to the people that he would establish an asphaltic plant to address the road deficiencies in the constituency.
He added that to realize that vision and create job opportunities for his constituents, the EJISU Club 100 was established to collaborate with Sogood Engineering and Construction Company to undertake the project among several others.
“In the pursuit of fulfilling this commitment, I approached my family Chief, Nana Kofi Agyei, for a piece of land for the construction of the asphaltic plant which he gifted to me in the presence of other family members after the Aseda customs were followed -The intention behind this gift was never for personal gain but to uplift the community and improve the lives of its residents through job creation and enhanced infrastructure – The progress of the asphaltic plant construction, which has reached an impressive 90% completion, stands as a testament to my unwavering dedication to fulfilling the promises made to my constituents during my campaign,” the statement said.
The statement added further that: “Regrettably, it has come to my attention that a few members of the family are expressing discontent over the gift of the land by the family Chief, a land they have no rightful claim to.”
The Ejisu MP said he acknowledged the rights of those raising the concerns to have differing opinions, but strongly opposed their unwarranted insults and attacks directed at him for having forcefully taken their lands.
In response to the claims, Dr Kumah said, he had already taken the necessary steps by reporting the matter to the Ejisu Police Service for the arrest of the individuals involved, and had also notified the family Chief of the very distasteful actions of the individuals involved for the necessary customary actions to be taken against them.
“As is evident in the video, there are no private houses built on the land but rather, heavy duty vehicles, quarters for workers working on the asphaltic plant, equipment for the asphaltic plants among several others,” the statement emphasized.
The MP said, it was very disheartening that in his quest to address a major challenge in the constituency, he had rather been attacked and vilified for an act he had not committed.
He therefore urged the public to disregard the content of the video and admonished the media of the defamatory comments in the video and their exposure to legal actions if it is believed that they are deliberately spreading the content of the video to bring his person and position to disrepute.