A former Minister of Information under the erstwhile Kufuor regime and former MP for Mfantsiman West constituency, Stephen Asamoah Boateng says he was not allowed to greet officials at the funeral grounds of Nana Essandoh Okese VIII, because he was late. According to Mr. Asamoah Boateng, the protocol officers at the funeral informed him that since he arrived late, he will not be allowed to pay homage to the chiefs. Mr. Asamoah Boateng said he was later invited by one of the chiefs who apologised for whatever transpired between him and the security officials. The former information minister indicated that he was not worried at what happened because he has become a pillar in Ghanaian politics. He added that he was prevented from greeting the chiefs and people because of the cheers and ovation that greeted his arrival at the funeral grounds. Speaking on Asempa FM’s current affairs programme “ekosii sen”, Mr. Asamoah Boateng popularly called Asabee said, he is at a loss at the recent trend of politics in Ghana. Asabee said because of what happened, he was not able to present gifts to the family on the day as custom demands so he presented it on a later date. In a rebuttal, the Central Regional Minister Ama Benyiwa Doe explained that she never saw Asamoah Boateng at the funeral grounds. She questioned why she would want to use her security to stop Mr. Asamoah Boateng from greeting people at the funeral grounds. Madam Benyiwa Doe accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of adopting negative political techniques to put the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in bad light and urged them to desist from that practice. She noted she was in a hurry to Anomabo for a festival and did not spend much time at the funeral. “Whoever says I stopped Asamoah Boateng needs a psychiatrist’s attention,” she added. Story: Akwasi Nsiah/Asempa FM