The Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Frank Amoakohene, has clashed with Ghanaian broadcaster, Paul Adom-Otchere, following a viral video of the minister in a jovial mood, teasing a portrait of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Asokwa Interchange.
The Ashanti Regional Minister in the viral video was touring ongoing painting works in Kumasi when he paused at the portrait of the former president, bowing slightly before the artwork.
However, Paul Adom-Otchere, speaking on his Good Evening Ghana show, heavily criticised the minister by questioning his doctoral credentials.
Paul Adom-Otchere highlighted that the Ashanti Regional Minister does not present himself as a medical doctor.
According to him, Dr Frank Amoakohene’s level of reasoning is below standard.
Paul Adom-Otchere, speaking on his Good Evening Ghana show, stated, “I saw that he posted something on social media, pretending to tease us. We didn’t engage because we are not about teasing people; we are about thinking and making things happen.
“I don’t know what he did before entering politics, but I know his doctorate is not in medicine. In tech, you can complete a four-year programme and be called a doctor, but it is not medicine… I get the sense that he is playing and not serious. I am not sure he belongs to a group of young people we should have confidence in,” he said.
The Ashanti Regional Minister, in a Facebook post, later hit back at Paul Adom-Otchere.
Dr Amoakohene rejected Paul Adom-Otchere’s claims, insisting that he is a certified medical doctor and not a school dropout, like he was.
According to the Ashanti Regional Minister, Paul Adom-Otchere could not complete his law education.
In his Facebook post, he wrote, “Tell ‘Christmas Tree’ that I am a medical doctor. I am not a dropout like him, who could not complete his law education. When you had the opportunity, you chose to sell Christmas trees.
“I chose to be innovative, so if you want to defame me, at least do your due diligence. Below is my academic background at 35. I dare ‘Christmas Tree’ to share his academic background at 51 and explain why he was sacked from law school,” he stated.
The Ashanti Regional Minister further rejected claims by Adom-Otchere that the New Patriotic Party (NPP), under the administration of John Agyekum Kufuor, completed the Asokwa Interchange.
“‘Christmas Tree’, facts: The Asokwa Interchange was started by President Kufuor in June 2008, six months to the elections, and completed by President John Evans Atta Mills in October 2011. Keep these facts, because one day the Suame Interchange will be wholly claimed by people like ‘Christmas Tree’,” he stated.
In related news, Ms Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, the daughter of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has threatened legal suit over the resurfaced $25m interchange painting allegation.
She once again denied allegations that she received $25 million to paint interchanges in Accra.
According to Gyankroma Akufo-Addo, such claims are “entirely absurd and false.”
She boldly asserted that no such contract has ever existed, been proposed, or awarded to her.
Gyankroma Akufo-Addo detailed that she has instructed her lawyers to take immediate legal action against persons and media outlets responsible for circulating the claims.
In a public statement issued on Friday, March 27, Ms Gyankroma Akufo-Addo dismissed the allegations, saying, “My attention has once again been drawn to the circulation of entirely absurd and false claims alleging that I received $25 million to paint interchanges in Accra,
Let me state, again, unequivocally and for the record: This claim is completely false. No such contract has ever existed, been offered, or been awarded.
If any individual, media platform, or commentator is in possession of such a contract, I challenge them to produce it publicly.
They will not because it does not exist”.
She further clarified, “
The Art for All projects were privately conceived and executed through the Creative Arts Agency, funded through a combination of private sector support and personal contributions. These facts have been publicly stated before and remain unchanged.
The deliberate revival and spread of this fabrication, particularly across social media platforms, is a calculated attempt to mislead the public and damage my reputation.
Accordingly, I have today instructed my lawyers to take immediate legal action against the individuals, platforms, and media outlets responsible for publishing and amplifying these falsehoods.
I will not allow deliberate misinformation to go unchallenged”
The allegations stem from claims by a social media commentator that she was paid $25 million to paint murals in parts of the capital city.
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