Ashanti NPP family war intensifies

ALAN`S `BOY` HACKED DOWN …as Mampong Chairman defies Regional Execs order

AN ATTEMPT by the former Regional Campaign Manager of the failed New Patriotic Party (NPP) presidential hopeful, Mr. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, to vie for the Chairmanship position in the Suame constituency, has suffered a jolt, as one mysterious telephone call from the party’s headquarters in Accra, has dashed his hopes. A strange call from Accra to the mobile phone of the Ashanti Regional Youth Organiser of the party, Kennedy Kankam, which has now turned to be the voice of the Nana Ohene Ntow, the General Secretary of the party, was enough to break the heart of Mr. Joseph Amoah, after he was eventually told that though he would be allowed to take part in the vertting, he stood little chance of taking part in the elections, because he was not a registered voter.

This was the message Kankam relayed to Mr. Amoah, before he could take his seat for the vetting. The decision by the vetting committee caught Mr. Amoah, who coordinated affairs for Mr. Alan Kyerematen during the party’s flagbearership campaign, dumbfounded, as he could not fathom the reason that accounted for his disqualification.

Mr. Amoah, who is also the President of the Empretech Business Forum, the brainchild of Mr. Alan Kyerematen during his days at the Trade Ministry, was told pointblank that because he was not a registered voter in the constituency, where he contested in the parliamentary primary last year, he did not qualify to contest as chairman.

Even though a letter of approval and certification of transfer from the Regional Electoral Commission was made available it would not convince the party executives. Mr. Amoah told The Chronicle in an interview, that he did not understand why he was disqualified, because he had informed the committee, through an approved letter from the Electoral Commission that certified that he had made every necessary preparation to transfer his votes to the Suame constituency.

He said even though he was not a registered voter in the constituency, he had spent his entire life at Bremang, a suburb of the constituency, where he and his family reside.

The Managing Director of Love Enterprise, dealers in construction hardwares, believes there was more to it than the reason being given.

“I cannot totally discount that factor,” was the answer he gave to this reporter when he was asked if he suspected foul play on the part of the committee, because of his association with Alan Kyerematen.

“The strange manner, in which I was disqualified, really baffles me, because all this while, I have supported the party in all its activities in the constituency, and even played an instrumental role in the polling station elections.”

Alleged role of Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu

Mr. Amoah alleged that the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Hon. Kyei Mensah Bonsu, masterminded his disqualification, because the MP came with a sheet of paper, purportedly signed by the General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, after the vetting process, which contained the so-called directives.

Mr. Amoah alleged that the MP was in support of the incumbent chairman, Mr. Badu Adu Boahen, and sees him as a threat to his parliamentary ambition, hence the ploy to kick him out.

He further insists that he has been sidelined because of his association with Mr. Kyerementeng, an allegation he claimed, manifested during last year’s constituency primary, when similar attempts were made to disqualify him.

The disqualified candidate argued that action was in breach of Ghana’s constitution and the Electoral Commission act.

But, Hon. Kyei Mensah Bonsu refuted the allegations on a local radio station, Angel 96.1FM, that he was responsible for Mr. Amoah’s disqualification, describing it as frivolous and unwarranted.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary, Nana Ohene Ntow, has confirmed issuing the directives, but said the decision was reached by the National Executives long ago, and that it had long been in existence.

He said the directive to ensure that all elected executives must be registered voters in their particular constituency, was not meant to sabotage any individual member of the party, but rather make sure that there would be no inconveniences on the voting day, so that they would be able to represent the party fully on the day of the elections.

Meanwhile, a Kumasi High Court, presided over by Justice Sulley Sambian Esq., has placed an interlocutory injunction, restraining both the constituency and the regional executives of the party from going ahead with the congress to elect new executives for the constituency, until the final determination of the suit.

The motion was filed by one Baafour Gyimah, a resident of New Suame, and the defendants in the suit include the Regional Chairman, Mr. Yaw Amankwaah, the Regional Secretary, Sam Cudjoe, Kennedy Kankam, and one Gabriel Opoku.

Nana Ohene Ntow has however appealed to the aggrieved parties to withdraw the case out of court and find amicable solutions to it.

Mampong ruckus

In a related development, Charles Takyi-Boadu reports that the controversy that has engulfed the Asanti Mampong constituency of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), seems to be far from over, as various interests groups continue to pursue their individual interests, against those of the Regional and National executives of the party.

At the centre of the raging controversy is the constituency Chairman, Ohenaba Akwasi Duwaa, who has made nonsense of a directive by both the Regional and National executives of the party, to suspend all elections in the area.

Yesterday, the Constituency Chairman succeeded in organising elections for the position of Area Coordinator, without the knowledge and approval of both the Ashanti Region and the National executives of the party.

This was in contravention of an earlier directive issued by the Regional and National Chairmen, Yaw Amankwah and Peter Mac Manu respectively, which sought to suspend the holding of any election in the area, until all outstanding issues, including those in court, are resolved amicably.

But, Mr. Duwaa yesterday told The Chronicle that he decided to organise the elections for the position of Area Coordinator, since according to him, they do not need the consent and approval of the Regional or National executives to organize it, a position the Regional Chairman, Yaw Amankwah disagrees with.

According to the Constituency Chairman, it is only the position of Constituency Coordinator where the regional executives come in.

Quite apart from that, he said they do not have a say in the election of Area Coordinators.

In an interview with the paper, the Regional Chairman, Yaw Amankwah, said under normal circumstances, the constituency executives, including its Chairman, should have notified the regional executives of their intentions, for them to be given approval or otherwise, before going ahead to organise the elections, but Mr. Duwaa and his colleagues decided to do their own thing.

As far as he is concerned, the holding of all elections in the Mampong constituency have been suspended until further notice.

Somewhere last week, the party Chairman, Peter Mac Manu, invited the feuding factions to the party’s Asylum Down headquarters in Accra, in a bid to resolve all outstanding issues.

He and the other national executives, who sat on the case, were however taken aback, because there was a case pending before the High Court in Kumasi, in which the Mampong Constituency Secretary and the Women’s Organiser, Twum Amankwah and Akua Adoma respectively, have sued the Constituency Chairman against their supposed suspension.

Withdrawl of Case

Mr. Mac Manu thus asked for the case to be withdrawn before they could proceed to give a verdict on it.

Though the two have managed to file and obtain a notice of discontinuation of the case from the court and handed it over to both the Regional and National executives, a decision is yet to be taken on the matter, whilst the case of three other groups of petitions, against holding elections in the area, still remain unresolved.

As it stands now, the Mampong Constituency of the NPP is divided into two factions, with the constituency Chairman, Oheneba Akwasi Duwaa, Treasurer, Osei Bempa, Assistant Secretary, Atta Nti, Youth Organiser, Kwame Obeng belonging to the Member of Parliament for the area, Francis Addae Nimo’s faction, while rest of the executives, including the Vice Chairman, Kwame Ampomah, Secretary, Twum Amankwah, Women Organiser, Akua Adoma, Organiser and former Municipal Chief Executive, Rockson Agyekum and Daniel Ayamfo, the Financial Secretary, are considered as opposition.

About two weeks ago, a busload of some of these aggrieved executives and members of the Asante Mampong constituency, stormed the party’s headquarters in protest against what they claimed to be irregularities in the holding of elections to elect polling station executives in the area.

The disenchanted members, who numbered over 50, wore red arm and head bands, sang war songs to signify the seriousness attached to their concerns.