Ghana Gas board chair bullies CEO into submission …Deploys insults and threats

Reports available to The Herald, have revealed regular clashes between the management of the Ghana National Gas Company (Ghana Gas) and its Board of Directors led by its chairman, the tough-talking Assin Central Member of Parliament (MP).

Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, this paper is informed, has been bullying the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Gas, Dr Benjamin K. D. Asante to an extent that the institution is at his beck and call, pandering to his whims and caprices.

The two individuals are not on the best of terms, and this is as a result of the overbearing attitude of the NPP MP, who is vying for the flagbearer slot of the ruling party and Ghana’s highest office for that matter.

The Herald’s insiders inform the paper about several encounters between the two, where Mr Agyapong had rained insults on the Ghana Gas CEO in an embarrassing manner.

Other reports are that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) MP had on some occasions, threatened Dr Asante with dismissal from Ghana Gas to the surprise of many.

The Herald, on Monday reported being in possession of reports about some deals at the state gas company, involving some members of the board, which the Akufo-Addo government is too scared to speak about, hence prefers to remain silent.

The place is reportedly rotten, but the Akufo-Addo government doesn’t want to talk about it, fearing it will be accused of being out to damage the Assin Central MP, who has been the board chairman since 2021.

There are reports about procurement deals among other challenges with claims that a future government will have to thoroughly investigate the state–owned company under the Ministry of Energy led by Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh to appreciate the extent of the rot.

The Herald has been told of the massive infractions with some management staff expressing worry at the least opportunity.

They are more worried about their future with respect to legal challenges if a future government decides to investigate the deals for a possible criminal prosecution.

Interestingly, while the government is unable to speak about Ghana Gas, the Bawumia camp is also unable to speak about it and use it against Mr Agyapong, who doesn’t pull back his punches and rage-filled words once they are thrown.

He applies doses of bullying, intimidatory tactics, political blackmail and naked vitriolic attacks on his opponents to have his way, including his private business dealings with the state. Indeed, people stay away from him.

At the Supreme Court is a Contempt of Court case that the judiciary is unable to hear since September 2020, during the tenure of Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah.

Mr Agyapong, had gone on his TV station to abuse and threaten a High Court Judge, Justice Amos Wuntah Wuni, then of the Land Court 12 for making some orders against him in a land matter in which Susan Bandoh and Christopher Akuetteh Kotei, had sued him (Kennedy Agyapong), Ibrahim Jaja, Nana Yaw Duodu aka Sledge and the Inspector General of Police.

Both the government and Bawumia camp fear talking about it, as it would be construed as launching a political attack on Mr Agyapong’s presidential ambition. He placed second at the Super Delegates Conference, last August.

Already, Mr Agyeapong is before the NPP’s Disciplinary Committee after he was summoned in line with the constitutional provisions of the party and also addressing violations of party rules and potential misconduct.

The summons was in response to accusations and threats he made against certain individuals, including President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, which were captured in a viral video circulating on social media and mainstream platforms.

Kennedy was said to have acted on false information given to him by his chief of staff and Campaign Manager, Kwame Owusu.

Kennedy Agyapong who was reacting to alleged threats and intimidation against his agents threatened to give the first and second gentlemen a “showdown.”

Subsequently, he was invited and subjected to a five-hour grilling marathon by the party’s disciplinary committee.

The party is yet to make details of the meeting available to the public.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Gas Company has dismissed media reports of rot in its operations.

A statement issued by the Head of Corporate Communications, Ernest Kofi Owusu-Bempah, yesterday Tuesday, September 19 cited by The Herald newspaper as having published a report headlined: ‘Rot at Ghana Gas but Akufo-Addo gov’t scared of Kennedy Agyapong’.

“The company wishes to state categorically that the Herald publication is completely false, malicious and unfounded.

“Indeed, there is no scintilla of evidence to back the Herald story,” Mr Owusu-Bempah stated.

He described the report as false.

“There has never been any rot associated with our operations here at Ghana Gas and we find it very unusual for a journalistic outlet to throw away the cardinal journalistic standard of fairness and the responsibility to tell the truth as it engages in news reporting.”

The country’s foremost gas company demanded a retraction and a formal apology from the Herald newspaper “to repair the damage caused to our organization”.

It assured its stakeholders of upholding the highest ethical standards in all its operations.

More to come!

Source: The Herald