Ayawaso East NPP Communications Officer Challenges Baba Jamal's Scholarship Scheme Announcement

Following the meeting, the MP disclosed that discussions were focused on community development and expanding educational opportunities for students in Ayawaso East. "Our discussions centered on community development and the educational opportunities available to students within the constituency, as well as how they can position themselves to take full advantage of these opportunities," Hon. Baba Jamal gleefully stated.

The MP subsequently announced on his Facebook page that deserving students from the Ayawaso East Constituency who gain admission into MountCrest University's LLB programme would be eligible to benefit from the institution's 50/50 Scholarship Scheme, an initiative intended to reduce the financial burden on students and their families.

The announcement was highly welcomed by many constituents, who viewed it as an ideal opportunity for qualified students to pursue legal education at a drastically reduced cost. However, the announcement has sparked political debate after the Ayawaso East Communications Officer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Abdullahi Ali, vehemently challenged the MP's public declaration .

In a statement titled: "Propaganda Cannot Replace the Truth. Facts Will Always Speak for Themselves," Abdullahi Ali vigorously argued that the MP's assertion could mislead the public into believing that the scholarship scheme was secured as a result of his meeting with the management of the University. According to him, MountCrest University has operated several scholarship programmes for years to support brilliant but financially challenged students, long before the MP's recent visit. To buttress his point, he listed some of the University's existing scholarship initiatives as follows: Kwame Ansa-Asare Scholarship Fund – Provides full scholarships, partial scholarships, merit-based awards, support for female SHS graduates, and financial assistance to students from underserved communities.

Kuffour Scholars Partnership – Supports eligible students pursuing Law, Public Health, and Health Services Management by covering admission, registration, tuition, and examination fees. Yaa Naa Foundation Scholarship – Offers financial support to brilliant but needy students. The Communications Officer, emphasised that these scholarship programmes are longstanding initiatives of the University and were not introduced following the MP's engagement with the institution.

He, therefore, urged the public to distinguish between existing institutional programmes and political cheap propaganda , stressing that presenting the University's established scholarship policies as a new intervention is misleading and astonishing . Meanwhile,these contradictory positions have sparked heated discussions across social media platforms, with supporters of both political parties debating whether the MP merely highlighted an existing opportunities or suggested that it was a direct outcome of his engagement with the University.