Member of Parliament for the Bantama Constituency, Francis Asenso-Boakye, has revealed the rationale behind his supporters organizing a ‘konkonte’ party to celebrate his recent victory in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary primaries.
The motivation, as explained by the MP, stemmed from negative remarks made by Kennedy Agyapong (Assin Central MP), who attempted to belittle him by referring to his late mother’s occupation.
“When Honourable [Ken Agyapong] came, he was denigrating the job of my mother that fed many people in the community and he said that my mother is a kokonte seller, so it infuriated [people],” Asenso-Boakye explained during an interview on Starr FM’s Starr Chat on Thursday, February 1, 2024.
He clarified that his late mother actually sold rice balls, known locally as “omu tuo,” not kokonte.
Asenso-Boakye pointed out that Ken Agyapong’s attempt to demean his late mother’s work angered his supporters and constituents, prompting them to organize the ‘kokonte’ party as a triumphant response to celebrate his victory over Ralph Agyapong.
“I think it doesn’t matter whether it’s omu tuo or kokonte; they are all local foods that are prepared and sold. So a lot of people were very upset in the community. Market women, widows; my mother was a widow, and given the sacrifices that my mother made to make sure that I had a very decent self… that is why some people decided to have the kokonte party, and it was very massive,” he remarked.
Asenso-Boakye, who also serves as the Minister for Works and Housing, secured a commanding victory in the January 27 contest with 78.22% of the total votes cast, amounting to 650 votes. On the contrary, Mr. Agyapong garnered 181 votes, representing 21.78% of the overall vote count.
During the heated campaign, Ken Agyapong, the current Member of Parliament for Assin Central, and former NPP flagbearer contestant, leveled allegations of corruption against Asenso-Boakye. In response, the MP dismissed all the allegations as baseless.