Party meeting turns into ‘boxing session’

… Constituency organizer knocks out Women’s Organizer

Weeks after executives of the La Dedekotopon constituency branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) traded blows, their colleagues in Ablekuma South Constituency have also joined the fray.

The executives of the constituency recently turned the venue of an Executives’ meeting into a boxing arena, with the Constituency Organizer, Mr. Samuel Lamptey taking on the Constituency Women Organizer, Mad Evelyn Fosu, in a spectacular intra-party physical battle, which saw him dishing out heavy punches on the face of the women organizer.

The fracas started in the presence of the party Executives, while the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. Theresa Amerley Tagoe, reportedly left the scene after witnessing the free-for-all fight between the two constituency leaders for few minutes.

According to our reports, confirmed by the party members, the MP and victim Women’s Organizer, who received the blows that resulted in heavy hemorrhage through her mouth and nostrils, refused to report the case of assault to the Police upon the advise of the MP.

She told this paper that the MP prevailed upon her not to report to the Police because she said, “It was a party matter and it was not necessary to wash the party’s dirty linen in public.”

The riot, according to our intelligence report, was allegedly sparked by the MP who is currently said to be at loggerheads with four of the Constituency Executives, including the Chairman, Mr. William Akakpo.

Eyewitnesses account, corroborated by the party Executives, allege that the MP instigated the women’s wing of the party against the Executives and urged them to demand their share of over ¢100 million belonging to the Constituency, even though she was aware of how the money was spent and the whereabouts of another ¢20 million and a corn mill donated by one of the aspiring presidential candidates, Prof. Mike Oquaye.

After the women met the MP and questioned her about the situation, the MP was reported to have confirmed that indeed the money was with the Executives but said she was not even aware about the beneficiaries and the whereabouts of the corn mill.

The paper gathered that the women, armed with this information from the MP, stormed the executive meeting with machomen and demanded explanations from the Executives.

The women group, who had heard and subsequently noticed the assault on their leader dressed in mini skirts and skimpy blouses, popularly called ‘ladies,’ made it clear that they had come to launch a counter attack, saying, “we cannot sit down for our leader to be assaulted when we are demanding explanation on how the money was disbursed.”

But Hon. Tagoe, who was accused by some party members as having incited the people, leading to the brawl, denied the charges.

She however confirmed that she held a meeting with the women’s wing and explained what she knew about the money.

According to her, it was unfortunate that the constituency Executives were dragging her name into the matter and urged them to go to GIMPA or the Ghana Institute of Journalism to learn administration if they lacked managerial skills.

“If they cannot manage the constituency, they should go to GIMPA or a journalism school to learn management. They should stop blaming me for the problems in the Constituency. I am above that. I have passed that age because I am now a grandmother. I cannot do that. What legacy am I leaving with my grandchildren?” she asked rhetorically.

Meanwhile, this paper can report that the assertions by the MP that the Constituency Executives should go to school, indicted her as well, since the party’s constitution explicitly identifies party MPs as Executive Members with voting rights.

She rubbished the allegations against her and stated that if she knew the whereabouts of the corn mill, she would have retrieved it “for the people.”

Asked about the source of money, which is now the bone of contention within the party in the Constituency, she revealed that it was an amount of money realized from a distilling contract awarded to the party with contribution from Hon. Mike Oquaye.

She said the Constituency Executives, after getting the money from the contract, shared it with some party executives receiving only ¢50,000.

This, she underscored, had since incurred the wrath and displeasure of the women and they had been complaining bitterly about the situation.

Reached on phone, Mad. Evelyn Fosu, confirmed the assault on her and re-affirmed what transpired at the meeting. “He beat me and I was bleeding profusely,” she said stressing that the attack was due to an open confrontation she had with the organizer.

She also recounted how the women were peeved about the disbursement of the money.

When this paper reached the Organiser, he said he regretted the incident and had already apologised to Mad. Fosu. He explained that the victim was not the target of his action but was caught in a crossfire during a confrontation with the constituency secretary, Nii Ahele, when she had attempted to separate them.

Meanwhile this paper can report that all the eleven Executive Members, including the MP, took ¢1.5million each from the said contract booty.

This paper can also report that the corn mill, which was a subject of the controversy, is currently in the hands of Mad. Lizeth Bonney, the Assistant Women’s Organizer.