Rawlings calls for enquiry into rift between feuding Buertey and Caesar

Accra (Greater Accra) 11 May ?99

President Jerry Rawlings on Monday asked the national executive of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to institute an enquiry into the rift between two senior members at Ada Constituency.

The rift is between the Member of Parliament for Ada and Deputy Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Amos Buertey and Mr Justice Kwame Caesar, District Chief Executive Dangme East. President Rawlings suspended the two on Sunday.

A statement issued in Accra and signed by the secretary to the President, Mr Jimmy Amissah said the rift had resulted in a political impasse in the area and had affected administration of the district.

The President requested that the report of the enquiry should be submitted to him through the NDC national executives with appropriate recommendations.

The two suspended public officers have been quarrelling openly for some time now while their supporters continue to organise demonstrations against each other.

Last Thursday about 4,000 supporters of Mr Buertey, besieged the offices of the DCE demanding his removal from office.

The demonstrators, who came in a long convoy of mummy trucks and canoes from the rural areas, were joined by Ada Constituency Executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and occupied the offices of the District Assembly for about two hours.

The demonstration was in retaliation for a similar one held on Wednesday by about 40 supporters of Mr Caesar against the NDC constituency executives and Mr Buertey, for allegedly planning to remove the DCE from office.

The MP's faction, infuriated by Wednesday's action, mobilised in their numbers and carried placards accusing the DCE and Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development of corruption.

Some of the placards read: "the DCE must be probed" and "Kwamena Ahwoi is

corrupt", in reference to an allegation that the Minister gave the nod to the DCE to renovate a four-bedroom guesthouse at a cost of 365 million cedis.

A detachment of the Police was sent to the assembly to forestall any incidents.

Two supporters of the DCE, Mr Francis Dugbartey and Mr Ernest Otu, however,

got hurt and were treated and discharged at the Ada health centre.

A source told the GNA that the personality clash between the two men started when the DCE allegedly declared his intention to contest for the party's ticket in the 2000 parliamentary elections.

Mr Buertey, the source stated, also intends to stand for the same position for the third time.

On Wednesday, Mr Buertey denied that he and the executives were behind a meeting held at Kunyenya on Thursday, April 29, where the decision to forcibly remove the DCE from office was taken.