Peter Amewu won’t make more than 12,000 votes in Hohoe - NDC candidate

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary candidate for Hohoe in the Volta Region, has declared that her opponent in the 2020 Parliamentary election won't make more than 12,000 votes on December 7.

According to Prof. Margaret Kweku, her closest contender, Energy Minister John Peter Amewu, who is the parliamentary candidate for Hohoe on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), will not garner more than 12,000 votes in the upcoming polls.

This, she said, was "Because he [Amewu] throws money around, he gets more votes than the other NPP contestants. He got 10,000 in 2004. In 2008, he got 8,600 votes. I am assuring you that this year if I am kind to him, he will get 12,000 and not more."

She said she is certain of victory and is in no way threatened by the chances of Mr. Amewu who is accused of sharing lots of goodies including money to entice the electorates to vote for him and Nana Akufo-Addo.

Prof. Margaret Kweku, a former Municipal Chief Executive of Hohoe who was speaking on The Point of View last Monday, on Citi TV hosted by Bernard Koku Avle, accused Mr. Amewu of claiming ownership of projects undertaken by the incumbent NDC MP, Bernice Heloo.

The situation of the Hohoe constituency has become very murky following the caving of Oti Region from the Volta Region.

Currently Lolobi, Likpe and Akpafu have no known constituency with the people not knowing where they are casting their vote. They used to be under the Hohoe municipality of the Volta Region but the regional demarcation has left them without a district and constituency.

Amewu, who is said to be from the Togo side of Wli, is said to be exploiting the situation and telling the people to come to Hohoe and vote for him and when he becomes, he would help them get a constituency and also return them to Volta Region. The situation has left residents confused.

Lolobi and Akpafu Chiefs have since gone to court over the regional demarcation by the Justice Brobbey Commission, which has left them stateless. They also insist they're not interested in being part of the Oti region, but want to remain under the Volta region.

The Paramount Chief of Lolobi Traditional Area, Nana Akoto Masakyi III and Adontenhene of Akpafu Traditional Area, Nana Tetteh-Attu IV, petitioned the Chief Justice, over what they call 'judicial frustration' as they fight over their statelessness.

In the said petition, the frustrated chiefs, lamented how they have been seeking legal redress over "a gaffe" by the Justice Brobbey Commission to lump their communities into Oti Region and Buem Constituency, although they had made it clear that they did not want to be in Oti Region.

"A gaffe by the Commission lumped us into Oti Region and Buem Constituency respectively; although we the legitimate Chiefs of the two traditional areas, as well as the Kade (custodians of customs and traditions), Queenmothers, opinions leaders and the generality of the people made it abundantly clear that we did not want to be in Oti Region. In fact, we did not petition the President at all to begin with."

"Rather than being given a fair hearing and justice as guaranteed under the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Ghana, we have become hostage to all manner of official manipulations, unethical and inequitable treatment, undeserving of law-abiding citizens seeking to assert their rights under the 1992 Constitution," the petition read in part.

On the 45KW mini-hydro generating station, Prof. Margaret Kweku, cast doubt over the significance of the recently commissioned mini-hydro dam by President Nana Akufo-Addo at Alavanyo.

She says the project can best be described as a "paediatric dam" meant for child's play.

Nana Akufo-Addo on Saturday, November 21, 2020, commissioned the 45KW mini-hydro generating station and said the project will provide power for the people of Alavanyo and its environs.

The Bui Power Authority which supervised the construction indicated that the dam will not require the formation of a reservoir to operate.

But speaking on The Point of View on Monday, Prof. Margaret Kweku was of the view, the project is of a rather low power-generating capacity to serve any useful purpose for residents.

"Tell me which industry a 45KW dam can power. We are not talking about Megawatts. This is a paediatric dam. I am not impressed at all. Even the building that was constructed near the dam cannot be powered by the dam. It is just there to be used by students for learning. So they shouldn't confuse Ghanaians", she ridiculed.

The project and politics

The mini-hydro dam consists of a concrete diversion weir, an intake structure, a diversion channel, a forebay, steel penstock, a powerhouse and a transmission line which ties the electricity generated into the local distribution grid.

President Akufo-Addo speaking at the commissioning said the project will add to the country's generation mix.

"This important project is going to assist the people of Volta Region and Ghana as a whole, and we will get the best out of it because it is wholly owned by us the Ghanaian people. The design and engineering and its construction is all Ghanaian owned. It's been done 100 percent by the engineers and the workers of the Bui Power Authority. For us also to get the full benefit, there is going to be a research site for those who are going to be operating it to get the necessary knowledge."

In commending the Minister for Energy, John-Peter Amewu, who is the NPP's parliamentary candidate for Hohoe, for his role in helping the cement the peace in Alavanyo, President Akufo-Addo stated that "all of this means the time has come for Hohoe to undergo a change, and to come to sit on the back of the elephant."

The President, thus, urged residents of Tsatsadu, Alavanyo, and, indeed, Hohoe to vote massively for him and for John-Peter Amewu, "so we can do more for you."