The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) has slammed the former President John Mahama for not honoring an invitation to the 63rd Independence Day celebration which was held in Kumasi.

Mr. Bernard Antwi Bosiako popularly known as Chairman in an interview said that Mr. Mahama's absence from the event provides more reason for the people in the Ashanti region to vote massively against him in 2020.

According to him, organizers of the event reserved a special invitation for the former President and accorded him the highest respect he deserves as a former head of state.

"I am not going to sound tribal, it isn't a good thing but you can tell that John Mahama doesn't respect Asantes. In time past he openly insulted us by telling us we are ingrates. We reserved a seat for him but he ignored us", Chairman Wontumi stated.

He added that "when our great King Otumfuo Osei Tutu II revealed that it took his intervention after the 2016 elections for John Mahama to handover power to President Akufo-Addo, he (John Mahama) called him a liar. Today, the region has invited you to join us celebrate Ghana's Independence and you disrespect us by not showing up".

Chairman Wontumi noted that former President Mahama should have at least "shown respect to Ashantis by informing the Protocol team why he couldn't show up just as former President Rawlings officially did".