"I'm being forced out" - out-going minister

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration in the Northern Region has been hit by a fierce power struggle, with the out-going Regional Minister, Ben Bukari Salifu, alleging that he was being forced out of office even though he has not officially handed over.

Making his first public comment to the press at his residence, Mr Salifu accused the Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Issa Keteku and some party officials including Alhaji Salifu Abduraman, the regional chairman of perpetrating the act.

He said that after the announcement of his transfer from the Northern Region to the National Development Planning Committee (NDPC) as a Minister of State, his deputy had with the connivance of the executives, usurped all his functions and kept him in the dark, even though he had not yet officially handed over.

Mr Salifu said that his efforts to draw their attention to the unconstitutionality of those acts have failed. “Rather, they go about peddling lies that I have refused to go to Accra and assume my new schedule”, he added.

Mr Salifu gave an incidence where he arrived from Accra (to the Northern Region) on Thursday 25 October 2001 to find his office locked and his secretary reposted.

He alleged further that when his official vehicle was sent to the garage for servicing, the Regional Co-coordinating Council refused to authorize it, yet that of his deputy was taken care of. He complained that although he had informed the council of his intention to make his last address at the monthly meeting of the District Chief Executives of the Region, no protocol was offered him. According to him, when he got there, his deputy was already with a speech prepared in his name.

....Deputy Minister Replies Boss

Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Issah Ketekewu has called for full-scale investigations into the allegations levelled against him by the Out-going Regional Minister. Mr Salifu had accused him of condoning with other party functionaries to kick him out of office prematurely. Mr Ketekewu who expressed surprise at the allegations said the outcome of any such investigations should be made public.

Reacting to a press conference held by Mr Salifu, Mr Ketekewu said “Mr Salifu is a full Minister of State while I am a deputy Minister. How then can I usurp his powers when I don’t have the constitutional mandate to do so?” Mr Ketekewu also said he did not see any reason why he should be eager to see Mr Salifu out of office when he is not the one appointed to replace him.

The Deputy Minister said it was rather the Regional Minister who was refusing to co-operate with him and not the vice versa. Mr Ketekewu alleged that following the announcement of the ministerial re-shuffle in which Mr Salifu was transferred to the National Development Planning Commission, he stopped reporting to work thus retarding progress in the Region.

According to him, he consequently decided to take charge of all the correspondence but referred all those that needed the Minister’s attention to him.

On allegations that he addressed a meeting of the Regional Co-ordinating Council which was supposed to be addressed by the Minister, the deputy Minster explained that although he attended the program with a written speech already prepared in his name because the Minister was away in Accra, he readily gave it to the Minister to read immediately he arrived at the meeting.

Mr Ketekewu wondered why Mr Salifu did not contact him on the allegations but rather chose to draw his own conclusions and bring it to the attention of the media.