Amansie South DCE denies illegal power connection allegations, threatens to sue ECG

The District Chief Executive (DCE) of Amansie South in Ghana’s Ashanti Region, Clement Opoku Gyamfi, has denied allegations of illegal power connection. 

On April 6, 2023, the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) disconnected the power supply to the DCE’s residence, accusing him of bypassing the meter and connecting electricity cables through an adjoining plot without authorization.

However, Mr Gyamfi has refuted the claims, stating that he has never tampered with any electricity cable at his residence and that as an official bungalow, he does not pay for utilities like electricity or water.

He expressed his frustration at the disconnection, which he described as a “Rambo-style” operation with several vehicles and media personnel present, and suggested that the ECG was retaliating against him for comments he made about their disconnection policies during a radio interview in Kumasi.

Mr Gyamfi has threatened to take legal action against the ECG if power is not restored to his residence soon, but has not disclosed his next steps.

“I have never and will never engage in any illegal connection. This is an official bungalow I was given. I don’t pay bills whether electricity or water, so how can you say I have engaged in illegal connection? It doesn’t make sense. Why will they come in a Rambo style to disconnect me? I saw two land cruisers, pickups and a van with media men just to come and disconnect power,” he told Citi FM in an interview.

“There’s a back story to all these. I was on a radio in Kumasi and part of the topics to discuss was ECG disconnections and I emphatically said that ECG is not a serious company but the reason why I said that was because they hardly bring bills and mostly when they bring it, it is an accumulation of several months of debt. This is why they disconnected me. If not witch hunting then why would they do that?”

“My official bungalow is under the care of the district estate officer. So he is in charge of it. They will have to take the steps to ensure that power is restored. For my next line of action, let me keep my cards close to my chest for now. The media will hear soon”.