DCE lives in fear

THE WEST Mamprusi District Chief Executive (DCE), Sulley Abudu Zakaria Laud has for close to three weeks been sneaking out at night to an unidentified place to pass the night, as he is scared of sleeping in his official bungalow.

The DCE has been practically running away from some National Democratic Congress (NDC) foot-soldiers who have vowed to attack and maim him if he did not pay them an amount of GH¢2500 he owed them.

The foot-soldiers claimed that the DCE contracted them to recruit youth from all over the district to help him to repair his dented image for GH¢5000.

According to the foot-soldiers, Mr. Laud paid an initial amount of GH¢2,500 as half payment of the full amount, after which they organized a demonstration on July 26, 2010 to counter an earlier demonstration organized on 22nd July 2010 to discredit him.

One of the leaders of the group, Bugri Tia said after their counter demonstration and other activities, including monitoring the movement of some people the DCE had listed for them as his enemies and political threats, they went to the DCE for their balance, only for him to tell them to go to hell.

“My brother, if you know the West Mamprusi district well and the distances that people had to ride to get to Walewale, you will appreciate the reason the boys are wild and insisting on getting the money at all cost.

They feel that the DCE is either cheating or disrespecting them, and will also go to all length to show him what happens to cheats.

I and other leaders have been talking to them to exercise patience while we use diplomatic means to get the debut paid, but they insist on maiming the DCE anywhere they meet him,” he noted.

The foot-soldiers have vowed to ensure that the DCE paid the remaining GH¢2500.

Bugri Tia told DAILY GUIDE that initially, they supported the DCE and agreed to hold the demonstration for GH¢5000 because they thought he was being attacked and accused by the youth of the constituency unduly.

He said they have however realized the DCE was a cheat, fraudulent and disrespectful to the party executives and some chiefs in the district who had earlier advised him to change his unpleasant attitude towards the people.

On 21st July 2010, some NDC youth and some non-partisan ones in the West Mamprusi district marched through the streets of Walewale to demonstrate against what they described as the bad attitude of the DCE towards the youth and the party elders, as well as some chiefs and opinion leaders in the district.

They threatened to throw the DCE out of his office and face any consequence since all advice given to him by the party elders to desist from causing confusion among the youth groups in the district fell on death ears.

During the demonstration, the youth accused the DCE of allegedly awarding contracts to some youth groups and re-awarding the same contracts to another group, just to create confusion and pave way for him to continue his nefarious activities.

They also accused him of awarding some contracts without going through the right procedures.

With the view to closing the lid on the revelations made by the youth, the DCE quickly contacted some youth leaders from the Walewale and Yagaba-Kubori constituencies to organize some people to hold a counter demonstration and also monitor the movement of his political detractors in the district, promising to pay them an amount of GH¢5000.

On 26th July 2010, after the DCE had paid GH¢2500, the youth leaders and their boys got to Walewale and created a fearful atmosphere, as they sang war songs and sang praises for the DCE.

The youth have therefore called on the DCE to pay them the rest of the money or he would face their wrath.