Omane Boamah was my personal doctor, my son, my everything – Ato Ahowi

A founding member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ato Ahwoi, has expressed profound grief over the deaths of eight people in Wednesday’s military helicopter crash, which claimed the lives of two senior government ministers and several military personnel.

The tragic incident, which occurred in the Adansi Akrofuom District of the Ashanti Region, killed Defence Minister Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Environment Minister Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, and six others, including members of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Speaking to journalists during a solemn flower-laying ceremony held on Friday, August 8, in honour of the victims, Ahwoi described the tragedy as “unfortunate,” particularly in reference to the passing of Dr. Omane Boamah.

Mr. Ahwoi described Dr. Boamah as more than just a colleague. “He was a very good man. He was my personal doctor, my son, my friend, my brother—everything. It’s unfortunate that he’s had to leave us so soon, wherever he’s going. But we will all be there one day,” he said.

“It’s unfortunate that he has to leave us so soon to wherever he’s going. But we will all be there one day,” he remarked.

Ahwoi also revealed a personal connection to the late Defence Minister, recounting how he convinced him to leave the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and join the NDC. “By talking to him and convincing him. Telling him that it was a better party to be in than whichever party he was in already,” he said.

He lamented that the party had lost dedicated and loyal members whose contributions could have played an important role in shaping the NDC’s future. “We have lost good people who should have been around to see the success of the second NDC,” he stated.

The flower-laying ceremony formed part of a series of national mourning activities leading up to the state burial, scheduled for Friday, August 15, 2025.