SALL Areas Are My Stronghold — Amewu

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament for Hohoe, Mr John Peter Amewu, has stated that he would have had more votes had eligible voters at Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) taken part in the 2020 parliamentary election in the constituency.

“I would have been very happy if the people of SALL had voted because in 2004 and 2008, those were my strongholds. If they had voted, I would have even won with a higher margin,” he stated

Mr Amewu, who is the Minister designate for Railway Development, said this when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament last Wednesday.

Context

Eligible voters within SALL only took part in the presidential election but could not vote in the parliamentary election because a constituency had not been created for them.

Mr Amewu won the seat with 26,952 votes in his third attempt at becoming the parliamentary representative for Hohoe, while his National Democratic Congress (NDC) opponent, Margaret Kweku, polled 21,821 votes.

Sympathise

Answering a wide-range of questions, Mr Amewu expressed his sympathy with the people of SALL for not taking part in the parliamentary election.

“I went into the election as a player and not a referee. I did not constitute the rules that were in place for me to come and contest,” he said.

Retract

Mr Amewu also retracted death threats he said were made jokingly against some fellow Volta Region MPs.

He explained that he was provoked when he made the threats during the dissolution of the Seventh Parliament on January 6, 2021.

He said the Minority legislators hooted at him upon arrival in the chamber, adding that “the NDC MPs ‘welcomed me in quite a hostile way.”

“I thought as a new member having won a very difficult seat, I should be cheered only to be hooted at [and called a thief.] That actually was, of course jokingly, a trigger.

“I want to withdraw those words unconditionally. My constituency is watching me and Mr chairman I am a peaceful man. The use of the words came out as an overreaction which is my negative aspect,” he stated.

Source: Graphiconline.com