Flagbearer of the New Force, Nana Kwame Bediako, popularly known as Cheddar, has described the military helicopter crash that killed two ministers and six others as a national tragedy, calling the day “a Black Wednesday in the heart of Ghana.”

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Mr Bediako extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and offered support to President John Mahama following the loss of high-ranking government officials, including Defence Minister Edward Omane Boamah and Environment Minister Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed.

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“Ghana has lost more than lives, we have lost leaders, servants, and patriots,” he said, describing the victims as “pillars of our government and voices of our democracy.”

He emphasised the nonpartisan nature of the tragedy and urged Ghanaians to reflect on the fragility of leadership and the need for national unity.

“This tragedy is not partisan, it is national. It is not political, it is human,” he said. “And it reminds us… of the urgent need to unite as one people.”

Today is a Black Wednesday in the heart of Ghana.

With profound sadness and an aching heart, I extend my deepest and most sincere condolences to the families of those who perished in the tragic plane crash that has shaken our nation.

Ghana has lost more than lives,we have lost…

— Nana Kwame Bediako (@OsagyefoNKB) August 6, 2025

Mr Bediako called for strengthened protection systems for public servants.

“May this Black Wednesday be the beginning of a brighter tomorrow, where we lead not with power alone, but with protection, unity, and purpose.”

The crash, which occurred in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region, involved a Ghana Armed Forces Z-9 helicopter carrying three crew members and five passengers. All on board perished.