The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Atiwa West, Amo Johnson Anom, has addressed the controversy surrounding the attempted commissioning of an Astro turf project at Akyem Kwabeng, blaming the area’s Member of Parliament (MP), Korkor Asante, for the near-chaos.

Speaking to the media a few days after the incident, the DCE accused the MP of disregarding a District Security Council (DISEC) decision that halted any plans to commission the facility until it had been completed and formally handed over by the contractor.

According to him, the assembly became aware of the MP’s intention weeks earlier and invited her for clarification, but she denied any knowledge of such plans.

“The current Member of Parliament, Hon. Korkor Asante, had wanted to commission the project yesterday. We had this information about three weeks ago, we invited her to the assembly, and she denied embarking on such an exercise,” he said.

The DCE, however, noted that to their “surprise and dismay,” the MP later circulated invitation letters to stakeholders without the assembly’s consent.

“On Tuesday, she had circulated invitation letters to all stakeholders whom she intended to invite to participate in the commissioning exercise without recourse to the assembly,” he added.

He explained that the development generated tension in the area, especially among supporters of the two main political parties.

“The two major political parties started to complain, especially the National Democratic Congress, whose party is in government, thought that it is not right that the MP arrogates all the powers onto herself by going ahead to commission the project without informing and engaging with the assembly,” he stated.

Mr Anom said DISEC had to intervene to prevent a premature commissioning that could potentially stall the project.

“The project is still ongoing, and if it’s commissioned, the possibility of its abandonment is high, and therefore they saw the need to protest,” he explained.

The Astro turf, fully funded by GNPC, was initiated under former MP Kwasi Amoako-Atta and is currently about 60 per cent complete. The DCE stressed that significant work remains before it can be commissioned.

“It came along with ancillary facilities such as dressing rooms or changing rooms, VIP stands, and washroom facilities, which were part of the contract document,” he noted.

He added that government projects are formally handed over to the assembly upon completion, and bypassing the contractor and key stakeholders violates established procedures.

On Friday, tensions escalated when some youth, captured in a viral video, disrupted the commissioning attempt, insisting the project was incomplete. It took the intervention of the police and other security personnel to restore calm.