NDC party executives fight over cars

The Deputy National Organiser of the NDC, William Aggrey, has warned his colleagues to tread cautiously on the controversial vehicle retrieval exercise since it can explode into a major crisis.

“I pray, the General Secretary of my party and others who rush to the media to comment on this delicate matter to exercise caution,” he told The Evening News on Tuesday in reaction to allegations that he together with the party chairman, Dr Obed Asamoah, had misappropriated party vehicles.

Aggrey explained that the party as a social entity does not own any vehicle, adding that some individuals bought vehicles for the party’s use. Soon after it lost the 2000 elections, the NDC set up a special task force mandated to retrieve all vehicles used during the elections.

However, the national Finance Committee (NFC) at a meeting on Thursday 7 November accused Aggrey, a member of the Task Force, of breaching laid down rules by handing over some retrieved vehicles and its proceeds to Dr Asamoah instead of the Treasurer, General Secretary or the NFC.

Aggrey however, denied the allegations claiming that the NFC arrived at those allegations because it was not well informed on the issue. According to him, he had so far retrieved 11 vehicles out of which three had been sold and accounted for.

He said Madam Sherry Ayittey, who is the chairperson of the Task Force and a member of the NFC directed him to release all vehicular sales to the national treasurer. He said that Madam Ayittey also gave him specific prices for the three vehicles he sold. The vehicles he named as two Toyota (4x4) pick up trucks of 1997 made and one (2x2) pick up truck of 1992.

According to him, when the first vehicle was sold, he called the NFC chairman and he instructed him that the proceeds should be given to the national organiser to finance the Kumawu by-election. “I complied with the directive and notified the treasurer to that effect.”

He said proceeds from the sale of a second vehicle came in when he was travelling to Takoradi on Saturday and since it was unsafe to carry the money along with him or leave it at home, he sent it to Dr Asamoah for safe keeping.

Asked why he did not send it to the chairman of the NFC or the national treasurer, he said he did not know their house. According to Aggrey, he alerted the party’s accountant to go for the money from Dr Asamoah, which the accountant did on the next Monday. He said that was the only proceed that passed through the hands of the party chairman.

Asked why Madam Ayittey, who is a member of the NFC should sign a memo querying him about how proceeds from the sale of vehicles were being misappropriated, the national deputy organiser stormed, “instead of checking from me to know the truth about the issue, they decided to have a go at Obed. After this memo was leaked to you, I was called personally to an NFC meeting on Thursday to tell them what I have done so far,” he said.

The deputy national organiser also cleared Dr Asamoah on the allegation made by NFC that he usurped its powers by directing him to re-allocate eight retrieved vehicles to party executives. “How come the re-allocation? It was because the General Secretary, Dr Nii Josiah Ayeh, had complained to the Council of Elders that Dr Asamoah had not given him an official vehicle.”

Aggrey said based on this complaint, the elders instructed Dr Asamoah to look for a vehicle for Dr Ayeh. Dr Asamoah however, instructed me to give one of the retrieved vehicles to Dr Ayeh so I gave the one I took from Madam Comfort Owusu and allocated it to him, he stressed.

He explained that at the time the vehicle was allocated to the General Secretary, he was hospitalised hence it was packed at the house of Dr Asamoah for onward receipt by Dr Ayeh. “From that point, Obed gave me further instructions to allocate the rest of the retrieved vehicles to other national executives which I did,” he said.

Aggrey explained further that Dr Asamoah did not unilaterally decided to allocate the retrieved vehicles to Dr Ayeh and other national executives. Rather, he was pushed into doing so because of the complaint lodged by the General Secretary. He wondered why the General Secretary should go as far as to the elders to state his case when he could have approached him for one of the vehicles.

He further denied that ?17m received from the sale of vehicles was used by him to sponsor a get-together for the Minority in Parliament, whiles utility bills at the party’s headquarters remained unsettled.

Aggrey said he did not spend a dime of proceeds derived from the sale, explaining that the amount was deducted by Dr Asamoah from the money he gave to him for safe keeping. He said he did not know about the deduction until last Thursday when the NFC informed him about it.

According to Aggrey, Dr Asamoah deducted the amount to re-imburse himself because he had used his personal money to sponsor the said get-together, adding that the chairman had supported his claim with receipts. The deputy organiser said although he was not informed by his chairman about the deduction, he saw nothing wrong with it. “As the chairman and leader of our great party, he can use his discretion when the need arose,” he noted.

Aggrey said as at now, new instructions had been given to him by the NFC to give any vehicle that would be retrieved to the General Secretary for onward re-allocation.