Tepa NPP Executives Want 'Incorrigible' DCE Out

The Ahafo Ano North Constituency executives of the NPP are calling for the immediate removal of their District Chief Executive, Mr.Akwasi Adu Poku, from office.

They would also want the DCE probed for financial misadministration and misappropriation of the Assembly's resources which they claimed could be substantiated by the MP of the area, Mr.Kwame Owusu Frimpong.

According to them a grader owned by the Assembly had been dispatched to another district on hiring basis even though most of the feeder roads in the district are not motorable.

Their suspicion is that the DCE has hired the machine out and lining his pockets with the proceeds which, they believe, is the source of funding for his "expensive" building at Feyiase near Kumasi and that no proper accounts are rendered in respect of the proceeds from the grader's services.

The party executives have also described the DCE as incorrigible because he would not change from his bad ways. He was warned by the Regional minister last March 5, to co-operate with party executives to no avail.

The March 5 attempt by Hon.Boafo to iron out their differences followed a petition to the Regional minister and intelligence reports.

In a petition to the minister of Local Government last month and copied to the president and the general secretary of the party, the executives asked for the DCE's removal and replacement with somebody who could help the party win the Parliamentary seat in 2004.

Messrs. Philip Kpodo and Kenneth Adu Poku, constituency chairman and secretary respectively, are the signatories to the petition dated March 25, 2003.

The party executives feeling frustrated, stated that they would not sit down for the NPP to be sacrificed by unscrupulous individuals. "Instead dishonest people should be sacrificed to save the party, hence the call for the immediate removal of the DCE" they cried.

The DCE is chiefly accused of not supporting the local executives financially to propagate government policies in the district.

"The DCE will not support the NPP in Ahafo Ano North, neither would he give contracts to executives to enable them finance their activities in support of the party" they complained.

He is also alleged to be disrespectful towards the executives and the MP. They are also doubting his loyalty as a member of the party because he has teamed up with the presiding member and have NDC members as his closest assoicates at the Assembly.

According to the party men DCE Adu Poku had caused the transfer of a district co-ordinating director and the works superintendent of the Assembly who are known NPP sympathisers.

His victims are said to be people who would not encourage him to indulge in corrupt practices at the expense of the NPP.

The complainants said besides the fact that the NDC won the seat in 1992 and 1996 elections, NPP had only 56% of the total votes cast in the 2000 elections in the constituency, an indication that the NPP should work harder to improve upon this in order to maintain the seat.

"This calls for a dynamic and dedicated DCE who would team up with party executives to strengthen the party's support base" the petitiners claimed.

They warned "we (NPP)should forget about the seat in 2004 if he(DCE) is not removed now".

Meanwhile, DCE Adu Poku has denied the allegations saying they are unfounded and baseless and that they are attempts to give a dog a bad name in order to hang it. According to him, the charges are based on hatred.

The DCE, however, admitted in the presence of the Omanhene of Tepa Traditional Area, Nana Atwenewaa Adusei on March 11, 2003 that the Assembly's grader had been hired out to the Amansie West District Assembly saying it is purely an income generation venture. He did not say how much the grader is fetching his administration and the Assembly.

He, however, promised to ensure the grader's return to base as soon as possible to stop rumour mongering. Almost one month on, the Chronicle is reliably informed that the grader is still "missing" and wanted.