Confusion In Ashanti NPP Rages On

Barely a month after the regional congress of the Ashanti Regional Branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), confusion and misunderstanding are reported to have gained momentum in the party, between the Regional Executive Committee (REC) and some of the newly sworn-in executives of the region on one side, and some party delegates on the other.

The latest impasse follows the failure of the REC to present to the public, the final findings of the committee set up two months ago to investigate financial malfeasance in the application of party funds ranging into billions of cedis and some foreign exchange.

The monies were allegedly misappropriated by the then regional party executives, which then included the current chairman, Mr. F.F. Anto.

Information reaching The Independent offices in Kumasi, indicates that about two-thirds of delegates in all the thirty-three (33) constituencies in the region who voted during the congress are now on the necks of the regional executive committee members for not bringing out the findings of the Committee of Enquiry to ascertain the truth or otherwise of the allegations.

Some of the delegates who spoke to this reporter on strict anonymity accused the REC of covering up persons involved in the scandal.

According to them, “it is very pathetic and sad that almost two month after the Committee of Enquiry had submitted its findings to the REC for action, nothing has been seen or heard from them”.

They therefore suspected foul play on the part of REC and some members of the present regional executives who were being accused for their involvement in the scandal.

They told The Independent that it was very strange that the party whose government preaches “Zero Tolerance for Corruption” could make such a U-turn and dine with corruption.

One delegate was not surprised at what is going on in the party in the Ashanti Region “because a whole General Secretary of the party, Dan Botwe told an editor of a Kumasi-dased news paper that the alleged corruption in the party was a purely party affair and has nothing to do with the recent congress”.

The basis of their agitations were that the incumbent chairman Mr. Anto and the former first vice chairman, Kwame Adjei who were both members of the immediate past executive and were both contestants for re-election were not exonerated from the allegations of financial misappropriation leveled against them and therefore did not qualify to contest the last election in the first place; that is, by the party constitution.

They contended among other things that since the general public is not abreast with findings of the committee it should be made public.