By Gifty Boateng
A former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for the Manhyia North constituency, has posited that not even the great performance of the Cedi, will save the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
For Collins Owusu Amankwah, who entered Parliament and was booted out after a term, the governing party will go back to opposition in 2028 regardless of the Cedi’s performance.
He insists the government as far as the performance of the Cedi is concerned has not done anything special to warrant plaudit.
His outburst follows the recent appreciation of the cedi against major currencies. The Cedi from over GHc17 last year has miraculously appreciated almost two months and as at today, it is a little over of GHc10.
Reacting to the obvious good news, Collins Owusu Amankwah shifted from popular narrative saying contrary to what is being bundled round, he has seen no improvement in the lives of Ghanaians since the government took over.
His comments come barely a week after former vice president Dr Mahamudu Bawumia took credit for the Cedi’s performance while speaking in the UK.
He said the NDC’s scorecard especially when it comes to the economy is nothing to be proud of. Owusu Amankwa predicted that, Ghanaians will make a bold statement come the next general election and teach the NDC where power lies.
For him, even though he admits the Cedi is doing well, it has not impacted his pocket and so he has not benefitted in anyway. He said the government, in estimation, is clueless, and does not have any compelling plan that will alleviate Ghanaians from hardship or improve their lives.
“Even if the dollar gets to 2 Cedis we will vote against them in this country, Ghanaians will vote against them. This government that has no plan, what exactly have they done since they came?
What miracle have they performed? This ugly that when you complain about anything their response is dollar has come? The dollar that they claim has depreciated, how about our pocket? What kind of economic model are they bringing?” he said while contributing discussion on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen programme.
Collins Owusu Amnakwah was reportedly slapped heavily by the Ashanti Regional chairman of the NPP Bernard Antwi Boasiako alias Wontimu in 2016.
The incident according to reports stemmed from a report the chairman got that the then MP was moving round in polling stations with a cutlass during the limited voted registration exercise. He had lost the party’s primaries and so was not returning to Parliament.
The issue was reported to the Kumasi Police Headquarters and Wontumi was arrested and granted bail by the Asokwa District Magistrate Court.
The allegation of him moving around with cutlass terrorizing registrants he claimed in a later interview was leveled against him by the NDC’s MP aspirant Mama Osei Bamfo.
In a Joy FM interview with Erastus Asare Donkor, he said what happened was nothing and that he loves his chairman and won’t want to hold anything against him.
Meanwhile in a recent on Peace FM, in February 26 2025, the ex-MP shockingly denied he was slapped. He explained that the claim was a mere propaganda.
“You said a chairman slapped someone, and I am saying it today, that cannot happen in Krofuom. I am not sure the regional chairman can slap someone in Krofoum”.
He went on to elaborate what happened saying there was a misunderstanding between him and the party’s secretary he helped so in the confusion Wontumi raised his hand and accidentally made a contact with his body.
“The propaganda has been going on for a long because of the arrest factor. It happened because my secretary whom I employed and helped…. And when I got there, chairman was explaining the issues, in the process, his hand touched part of my body, and people said he had slapped the MP”.
This is despite his own admission in 2016 when the incident occurred but he has forgiven him.