Ghanaian Elections: MP ‘Shares’ Coffins For Votes
The Member of Parliament (MP) for the Salaga South Constituency of the Northern Region and ranking member of Public Accounts committee Abubakari Ibrahim Dey has been accused of trying to smoothen his way to victory ahead of the December 7 polls by sharing coffins in the area.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is accusing the MP of wishing ill for residents of the constituency after he was reported to have procured and distributed coffins to a number of mosques in various communities in the East Gonja district.
While observing that it was a despicable gesture, the NPP led by one Mr. Abubakari Dramani said the NPP will organize a Quran recitation to counter the move because they believe it has spiritual implications.
“Spiritually we are also seeing how we are going to counter that but we believe that If you want to help a mosque there are so many deteriorated mosques in town which needs speakers. Some cannot pay their bills and you come and supply this kind of items to the mosques; it doesn’t actually speak well”
“We don’t understand such a move because while the people are hungry, you have done virtually nothing in that constituency and just barely a month of election and you come and be supplying coffins for the mosques”, Mr. Abu lamented.
The NDC constituency secretary Thomas Langa has however rubbished the claims saying the MP provided the items upon the request of the beneficiary mosques and communities.
Thomas explained ” it is true that one of the suburb of Salaga during a campaign trail, the MP has no knowledge of this one…and the people pleaded that as Muslims they need to have a coffin at the mosque because they would have to normally travel to distance to go and borrow it from another source and so those of us moving as a campaign trail decided to contribute and you build a small one for them; they requested for it”.
Independent checks however revealed that the MP presented coffins to some mosques because the coffins they were already using were almost falling apart and he felt it was disgraceful for them to continue to use such coffins to carry the dead to their final resting places.
