By Gifty Boateng
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Akwatia, Bernard Bediako Baidoo, says he remains unbothered by moves by some New Patriotic Party (NPP) figures to challenge him in the 2028 general election, insisting his focus is firmly on delivering development to his constituents.
The first-term legislator points to a slew of projects covering electricity, roads, bridges, and rural telecommunications that are either completed or at various stages of implementation across the constituency.
His comments follow an NPP Thanksgiving Service and mini-conference rally in Akwatia, where some party members including former parliamentary aspirant Solomon Kwame Asumadu and private legal practitioner Bernard Owiredu Donkor declared their intentions to contest the seat.
“I Am Tormenting Them in Accra”
Speaking on the developments, Mr. Baidoo suggested that the NPP’s fixation on him stems from his strong defence of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) and its policies.
“It is looking like I am tormenting them in Accra, so even their leadership in Accra are focused here and tasking them to unseat me,” he said.
He explained that he had deliberately avoided engaging his political opponents in public exchanges, preferring to concentrate on his parliamentary responsibilities and legal profession.
“I have not dignified them with a response. I feel it is unnecessary because the people of Akwatia know the work I am doing for them. I am not the one to speak about them. I will urge that one day you go to the constituency and ask them to say what they have seen,” he stated.
On electricity, the MP said seven communities in the constituency that previously had no access to power are being connected to the national grid.
He credited the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, John Abdulai Jinapor, for supporting efforts to extend electricity to the affected communities.
According to him, the ongoing expansion would ensure that even smaller settlements in the constituency eventually benefit from electricity.
Mr. Baidoo also highlighted efforts to address longstanding mobile network challenges in Akyem Topreman, where residents had struggled with poor telephone connectivity because the community was not covered by the existing rural telephony project.
He said he had promised residents during the election campaign to pursue a solution if elected, adding that his engagement with the Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, had yielded results.
He said the minister had engaged the National Communications Authority (NCA), which subsequently worked with telecommunications provider MTN to facilitate the construction of a telecommunications mast at Topreman.
The MP further disclosed that he had lobbied for three additional rural telephony projects for Apraku, Number 4, and Amaga. He said the necessary infrastructure had been provided in the three communities, with the remaining work being their connection to the network.
On road infrastructure, Mr. Baidoo cited the completion of a bridge at Suave, which he said had been in a deplorable condition for years.
He explained that the bridge, which connects Suave to Akyem Wenchi—the hometown of the late sitting MP, Ernest Yaw Kumi—had partially collapsed and posed a danger to residents and other road users.
According to him, successive calls by residents for its rehabilitation had not yielded the desired results until he intervened.
He said locals raised the concern during his campaign and he promised to ensure the bridge was reconstructed if elected.
Mr. Baidoo credited the Minister for Roads and Highways, Governs Kwame Agbodza, for supporting the project, confirming that the bridge had now been completed. He added that road construction in the area was also ongoing, describing the developments as a fulfilment of commitments he made to residents.
The MP said the response from the traditional leadership and residents following the completion of the bridge demonstrated how long the community had waited for the project.
He maintained that his priority was to continue pursuing development initiatives rather than engage in political exchanges with those seeking to unseat him.