Ken Agyapong jabs Bawumia – I pay people, gov’t pays you

Member of Parliament for Assin Central Ken Agyapong has taken a sharp swipe at his competition in the upcoming NPP primaries. Though the maverick MP and NPP flagbearer hopeful did not mention any name, his comments are perceived to be aimed at Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia.

Addressing a gathering as part of his campaign tour ahead of the election, the outspoken MP said he unlike others who are paid by the government is creating jobs and paying salaries. He said at the end of every month he pays at least 7000 people, adding that he would soon have the biggest cold store in West Africa, a testament to his entrepreneurial skills.

“With my Steel Plant, I am employing thousands of workers in this country by the next few months, I have the biggest Cold Store in the whole of Africa, as for you, the government pays you, pays your house girls, pays your security, you are living in government bungalows,” he jabbed.

Adding, “But I pay 7158 workers every month in this country. So between the two of us who is the strategist? This is internal politics and so we  shouldn’t be dirty but  if they attack me I will reply.”

Also, he took a swipe at the government’s management of the economy, wondering what has happened that the Cedi which was trading at 4 Cedis to the dollar prior to 2017 has gotten to 12 Cedis. He said if someone supervising the free fall of the Cedi is a better strategist then he wonders what he himself[Ken Agyapong] is.

“You call yourself a strategist but when we were taking over power the Dollar was 4 Cedis, today One Dollar is Twelve Cedis and yet you call yourself a strategist,” he remarked.

According to him, he lost more than half the value of the dollar he had between March and August 2022. He said he had $40 million equivalent of the Cedi in March 2022 but by August of the same year, he had only $16 million worth of the same amount.

“In March 2022, I had 40 million Dollars in Cedi equivalent, in August 2022, the value of the 40 million dollars has dropped to 16 million,” Ken Agyapong revealed as first reported by 3news.

Mr Kennedy Agyapong warned that he wants a clean campaign as it is an internal affair but would not fail to reply if anyone dares makes bad claims against him.

The NPP primaries are scheduled for November 2023 with Kennedy Agyapong up against popular names such as Mahamudu Bawumia and Alan Kyeremanten. Former General Secretary of the NPP Kwabena Agyepong is also in the race alongside Boakye Agyarkop and five others.