The Ghanaian Chronicle

Fear of reprisal driving NDC.....Give oppositions 5 minutes and....Ministers Armageddon day warning". Is the front-page banner of the Chronicle.

The paper says it has always been hushed in the inner perimeter of their power-base. Now, says the Chronicle, a cabinet Minister has gone public and admitted that fear of reprisal is the driving force behind the zeal of the NDC to cling to power in spite of evidence that the leadership has lost their way in the political direction management of the economy.

The Chronicle reports that Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi, minister of state security and one of the President Jerry John Rawlings' most trusted colleagues, told the Western Regional delegates congress of the NDC in Takoradi that the opposition would not spare officials of the party if they (opposition) were allowed to wrestle power from the NDC even for five minutes. GRi

In another front-page story, the Chronicle says blows rained freely and placards told the story of a divided party. The paper says the Eastern Regional delegates' congress of the NDC called to elect officers to run the regional offices of the party and make regional resolutions in preparation for the party's national congress in Takoradi next month, ended abruptly amid recrimination. It says with a group of youth owing allegiance to former regional chairman, Mr. John Owusu Amankrah laying siege at the congress grounds with placards and songs of anger, the congress had very little chance of success.

The Chronicle says the youth that were organised from all the 26 constituencies of the party, besieged the premises of the senior club House of the Ghana Consolidated Diamonds Company at Akwatia, beating gong-gong and chanting war songs.

The paper says carried placards some of which read, "We want democracy in the NDC here in the Eastern Region, "No JOWAK, No Congress", and "Bring back Jowak" the youth heckled Miss Patience Adow, the Regional Minister and nearly lynched Mr. Kwaku Baah, an NDC legal brain, who was to contest for the post of regional chairman.

The Chronicle says Mr. Owusu Amankrah a popular Akwatia contractor, was forced to resign as regional chairman of the NDC, a day before the congress following a radio announcement in which President Jerry Rawlings had called for his head.

President Rawlings the paper says invited the serious Fraud office (SFO) to investigate Mr. Owusu Amankrah for what he alleged was poor execution of a contract awarded to him (Amankrah) GRi