Former NPP Upper East communicator Peter Ayinbisa has vowed to push for a Right to Information (RTI) request against Talensi MP Daniel Dung Mahama over a reported GH¢100,000 donation to NDC constituency executive aspirants.
Speaking on the Bluewaves Breakfast Show, Ayinbisa, a former communications officer of the New Patriotic Party in the Upper East Region, said he would urge Yinwonba Yinnamaltiman Emmanuel, the Talensi Constituency Communications Officer, to formally request an RTI statement from the MP on the source of the funds.
Ayinbisa praised the local NPP communications team, including Michael Nangena of the Talensi District, for consistently highlighting the MP’s activities. He noted that Nangena documents even minor gestures by the MP and that a press release issued by the constituency side had shown genuine concern for the people.
The comments come amid criticism from the Talensi NPP that the MP donated GH¢100,000 to NDC aspirants while pupils at schools such as Asawaliga Primary are reportedly forced to learn on their bellies due to a lack of furniture, and other schools face damaged roofs and infrastructure deficits. The party has demanded transparency on whether the money came from the MP’s personal resources or public funds, including the MP’s Common Fund.
Ayinbisa argued that as a public figure representing the entire constituency, the MP cannot claim the donation is purely private. “From where I sit, the MP cannot say he is a private person. He is a public figure. He represents the entire constituency. Whatever he does, he must explain in detail so people know whether he is doing it from his personal pocket or using constituency funds,” he said.
He further alleged that the boundary between public and private funds can easily blur through the award of contracts. According to him, MPs can direct assemblies to undertake projects, influence the choice of contractors, and later receive kickbacks that are then presented as personal money for party activities. He cited past instances in the region where funds given to party executives were not publicly disclosed.
“I am tempted to believe that, by now, the MP is giving out a certain project to a party person and asking that person to return so much to him so that he can use it to support party activities,” Ayinbisa stated. “It is difficult to know which is private and which is public. You can turn public into private.”
He added that once the donation was publicised on Facebook, the communications officer had every right to question it, and he would encourage the filing of a formal complaint alongside the RTI request.
Ayinbisa also used the platform to wish former Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia a happy birthday, describing him as the “incoming president,” though he noted Bawumia was not present on the show.
The Talensi NPP has maintained that while the MP is free to support his party, constituents are entitled to demand accountability when political spending appears to take priority over urgent educational needs in the constituency.
By: Gayheart Abraham
Sources: Mybluewavesonline.Com/Maurice Duncan/Bolgatanga
