….Herald Drop Hints of E-Levy Cake Donor
Majority Leader, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, has said the E-Levy cake that was gifted him at his birthday ceremony was from a businessman and not from members of the Minority side of Parliament as claimed by his Chief Whip, Frank Annoh-Dompreh and Kennedy Nyarko Osei, when pictures and videos of the customized E-Levy cake emerged.
The two Members of Parliament (MPs) from Akim Swedru and Nsawam Adoagyiri Constituencies in the Eastern Region, have linked the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the E-Levy cake at the Majority Leader’s 65th birthday celebration, saying the Minority Caucus, deliberately donated the cake to the celebrant to cause political mischief, but that has turned out to be a lie.
Speaking in an interview with Okay FM, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, insisted the identity of the businessman cannot be revealed as it can affect his business.
“I’ll not disclose the identity of the person who brought the cake because he’s a businessman and this can affect his business. He is not known in NPP status and it’s unnecessary to disclose his identity.”
But The Herald diggings, have given some clues as to who gifted the E-Levy cake cut at the birthday party held at the private residence of the Majority Leader in Kumasi.
He is said to be an in-law of the Majority Leader and Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
His name was simply given as Kwame, who owns two radio stations in the country with one based in Takoradi in the Western Region. Kwame is also said to be into civil engineering works across the country.
Additional facts on him obtained by The Herald is that, Kwame shuffles between Accra, Tokoradi and Kumasi, but mostly based in Kumasi. When in Accra, he is constantly seen in the office of the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs.
Senyo Hosi, who was at the birthday party and who some people have sought to blame as the one who gifted the cake and subsequently leaked pictures and videos of the celebration, has reacted to this development/.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, who was captured sitting behind the E-Levy cake at the ceremony, denied being behind the said gift.
He also denied that the cake had come from the Minority NDC and insisted that it was a gift delivered to Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, while the party was ongoing.
In a statement, he said “it was neither him nor the minority who delivered the cake to the Majority leader. I am not responsible for the E-Levy cake, neither did I partake in its cutting. As a guest at anyone’s party, I do not hold responsibility for the type of cake that is ordered or gifted by anyone.”
“I was present when the cake was delivered and can confirm neither OKMB nor the Minority was responsible for the supply of the cake. It was a surprise gift from the very person who delivered the cake,” he indicated in a post.
On February 9, 2022, photos and videos from the celebration of Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensa-Bonsu’s birthday with an E-Levy cake went viral. The video captured an all-green, six-part cake that spelt out the words, E-LEVY very boldly.
Big names such the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, his wife, Samira Bawumia, the NPP Chairman for the Ashanti region, Chairman Wontumi, among other party bigwigs were in attendance and it sure seemed like a flamboyant climax of the celebration of the man who is also the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs.
This brought up many questions, especially about how inappropriate the development was considering how massively the E-Levy bill has been opposed and the fact that it is still under consideration in parliament.
“I’ll not disclose the identity of the person who brought the cake because he’s a businessman and this can affect his business. He is not known in NPP status and its unnecessary to disclose his identity.”
“The dark green colour of the cake is not even my favourite colour,” he noted, while indicating that everyone who gathered around the cake laughed about the development.
He added that the E-Levy cake from the gift bearer followed recent discussions with him on the matter.
“The person who brought the cake as a gift said all I think about these days is the E-Levy and so he decided to design E-Levy cake for me. Everyone gathered laughed over it. That was the fun side of it. I didn’t order for E-Levy cake. The person who brought it is not even a family member,” the Majority Leader explained.
But Sam George, the NDC MP for Ningo-Prampram, remains unsatisfied, and wants more answers from dares Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
He insists that the Majority Leader, must come clean with who he says presented the cake and mention specific or specific names or remain a liar in the eyes of all Ghanaians.
“Honorable OseiKyei-Mensa-Bonsu, I dare you to name the NDC MP who sent you the cake, if you can’t name it in the next 24-hours, the whole country will know you are a liar,” Sam George said in an interview on JoyNews. The question still remains, who brought the Majority Leader the E-Levy cake that has stirred controversy in recent times?
In the NPP, the Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programme (NEIP), Kofi Ofosu Nkansah, raised questions about an E-Levy cake.
In a Facebook post, he wrote, “So whose idea was this E-LEVY cake thing? And why did we have to share the pictures too? What is the Political advantage from it?”
Former Deputy Communications Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, however, criticized the Majority Leader for celebrating his birthday with a customized E-Levy cake.
According to him, such a display by OseiKyei-Mensah-Bonsu, amounts to a gross level of “insensitivity and poor judgment” on the back of opposition to the controversial levy.
