A close friend of the late Akwatia Member of Parliament (MP), Ernest Yaw Kumi, has revealed that he complained of chest pains before his sudden death on Monday, July 7.

Hid friend, who is the former District Chief Executive for Denkyembour, Seth Birikorang, made this revelation during an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen yesterday.

Recounting their moments together two days before his passing, Mr Birikorang shared that they had travelled together to an event in Takoradi on Friday, July 4, in honour of an invitation by the Effia MP, Isaac Yaw Boamah Nyarko.

They later returned to Accra on Sunday, July 6, in the evening.

“After we got back to Accra on Sunday, around 6:30 pm, he dropped me off at Mallam Junction, and I took a taxi home,” he recalled.

“He even teased me to be careful and to pray no one takes a photo of me in a taxi and posts it online just six months after we lost power. We laughed, and before parting ways, he reminded me we had a meeting at 2 pm the next day and told me to call him if I didn’t hear from him.”

However, Mr. Birikorang said that around 9:00 am on Monday, he received a distressing call from Mr. Kumi’s wife, informing him that the MP had taken ill and was rushed to the Lister Hospital.

“I was told he had been rushed to the hospital around 2:00 am. The doctors tried their best to stabilise him while waiting for a specialist to arrive. When I got there, I met his wife, his mother, and the doctor at the emergency ward—but everyone went silent when they saw me,” he added.

He continued tearfully, “I was confused. Nobody said a word until the doctor asked his wife if he could speak to me. When she agreed, he told me that Yaw was no longer responding to treatment. I suggested trying another drug, but that’s when they broke the news—he was gone.”

According to Mr. Birikorang, a few hours before his demise, Mr Kumi asked his wife to excuse him to rest, only for her to be told later on that her husband had passed between 9:00 and 10:00 am.

“How can a good man die in this painful manner? Someone should tell me this is not true,” he cried.

Mr. Kumi’s sudden death has shocked Parliament and the nation. Many, including political opponents and close friends, have described him as a calm, intelligent, and promising lawmaker.