He was originally supposed to be on the helicopter that crashed in the Ashanti Region on Wednesday, August 6, killing eight individuals, including two cabinet ministers, according to Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, national chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dr. Edward Kofi Omane Boamah, the minister of defence; Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, the minister of environment, science, and technology; Dr. Samuel Sarpong, the vice chairman of the NDC; and five other people were killed in the crash that occurred in the Adansi area.
According to Asiedu Nketiah, Dr. Sarpong replaced him on the trip to Obuasi for the introduction of the Responsible Co-operative Mining and Skills Development Programme (COMSDEP) due to a last-minute change of plans.
“Allah does what he wants,” he remarked, expressing sympathy to one of the families who had lost a loved one. At the last minute, I asked my vice chairman, Dr. Sarpong, to go and represent the party since I was supposed to be on the flight, and he agreed.
Mr. Asiedu Nketiah said the tragedy served as a lesson of the unpredictable nature of life and advised grieving families to find comfort in their faith.
“In your human ways, you may be thinking that if I had not sent Sarpong, maybe he would be living,” Mr. Asiedu Nketiah said, reflecting on the events that led to the deaths of Dr. Samuel Sarpong and seven others. Who knows, though? God may have determined that if this is his time, a trotro [commercial bus] in Accra will knock him down. Thus, we don’t doubt Allah’s will. Therefore, we are grateful to him in everything.
Even though the loss is enormous, he went on to say that “if it didn’t happen, something worse might have happened,” urging mourners to find solace in that thought.
Mr. Nketiah described his choice to fill Dr. Sarpong’s place as a last act of selfless devotion to the party and the country, saying that his demise leaves a huge hole in the NDC.
The cause of the crash is still being investigated by authorities.
The eight victims were:
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Minister for Defence
Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Muhammed, Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, and MP for Tamale Central
Alhaji Limuna Muniru Mohammed, Acting Deputy National Security Coordinator
Dr. Samuel Sarpong, National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC)
Samuel Aboagye, a former parliamentary candidate
Squadron Leader Peter Bafemi Anala
Flying Officer Manin Twum-Ampadu
Sergeant Ernest Addo Mensah
The state funeral is set on August 15, 2025, and a series of national mourning events, including a flower-laying ceremony that began on Thursday, August 7, will continue on Saturday, August 9.
