Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Roads and Transport, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, has criticised the Minority’s claim that critical road projects in the Volta Region have been neglected in the 2020 budget presented on Wednesday.

The governing New Patriotic Party (MP) Member of Parliament for Ayensuano Constituency in the Eastern Region said the matter about the roads is so trivial he struggles to understand why the Minority legislators are making it a big issue.

“They [Minority] know the budget has demoralised them; they know the budget is so powerful; they know the budget is going to keep them in opposition so they want to look at this trivial issue and dance around it. Other than that I don’t understand,” he said Thursday on Joy FM’s Top Story.

National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for North Tongu in the Volta Region, Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, started the controversy about the roads when he posted on his Facebook page that it was an “aberration” for government to deliberately leave out roads in the Volta Region in the road projects marked critical for next year.

“Why is provision not made in the 2020 Budget for critical road projects in the case of only the Volta Region…How does the Akufo-Addo Administration expect, particularly, MPs from the Volta Region to explain this to our constituents,” Ablakwa wrote.

The Volta Region – one of Ghana’s 16 administrative regions – is an important stronghold for the opposition NDC during general elections, with over 80% of electorates in the region constantly voting for the party.

The matter was the subject of a press conference addressed by MP for Adaklu, Kwame Agbodza, on Thursday.

He said “All administrative regions in Ghana, except Volta Region, were adequately catered for.”

Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo, has said the omission was a mistake.

The Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has also described the claims as unfounded, passing off Mr Ablakwa’s claims as mere mischief.

But Chairman of Parliament’s Committee on Roads and Transport, Samuel Ayeh-Paye, said in many instances, not all road projects are covered in the annual budget statements.

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