Hwidiem Clash: Ahafo NDC Chairman Defends Asutifi North MP, Accuses Erastus Asare Donkor of False Report
Yaw Okyere says Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo acted to calm tensions, not incite violence, and blasts journalist Erastus Asare Donkor for misleading the public.
- NDC Ahafo Regional Chairman Yaw Okyere defends Asutifi North MP, Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, over the Hwidiem clash
- He accuses journalist Erastus Asare Donkor of taking money to publish false and misleading reports
- Okyere insists the MP only intervened to calm tensions, preventing what could have been a bloody confrontation
The Ahafo Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Okyere, has leapt to the defense of the Member of Parliament for Asutifi North, Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo, following reports linking him to a violent confrontation between residents and the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) task force at Hwidiem.
In a strong rebuttal, Mr. Okyere accused journalist Erastus Asare Donkor of deliberately spreading false information about the incident for personal gain.
According to him, Erastus “takes money to mislead the public,” claiming that the Erastus Asare Donkor’s account was “biased, inaccurate, and unfairly targeted at the MP.”
Speaking with Kwame Tanko on the Ghana Se Sen Show on Lawson TV/Radio on November 4, 2025 he clarified that Hon. Addo was on his way to a funeral when he received news that some young men had been arrested for illegal mining, sparking unrest in the community. Concerned about the escalating situation, the MP according to him decided to intervene to restore calm, not to interfere with law enforcement.
“Hon. Ebenezer Kwaku Addo did not go there to attack the NAIMOS team as reported,” Yaw Okyere stated. “He went there to calm tempers because the arrests were made at the border between Asutifi North and Asutifi South, which is the area of Hon. Collins Dauda. The MP only appealed to the officers to handle the situation carefully because tensions were rising.”
Mr. Okyere further emphasized that claims by Erastus Asare Donkor that Hon. Addo had mobilized 600 thugs to assault the NAIMOS task force were “outright fabrications.” He insisted that the Asutifi North MP was innocent, describing him as a “quiet and peace-loving man who would never support galamsey.”
“If not for his timely intervention, what would have happened at Hwidiem could have turned bloody,” the NDC Chairman remarked.
Although he admitted that he was not present at the scene, Mr. Okyere said he had gathered reliable accounts from eyewitnesses who confirmed that Hon. Addo’s actions helped prevent chaos rather than provoke it.
He urged the public to disregard sensational and misleading reports about the incident and called on journalists to exercise professionalism and integrity in their work.
