NDC woman in danger

MS FRANCES Ewurabena Asiam, the forty-seven year old National women?s organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), yesterday, made a formal request for Police protection following several threats received on her life a day after she had revealed how she was coached by the Rawlingses to destroy certain political opponents, both in NDC and in the NPP.

When Daily Guide reached Mr Patrick Kwabena Anpewuah, the Deputy Director of Police CID, at the Police Headquarters for confirmation yesterday, he said, it?s the Director of Police CID, Mr David Asante-Appeatu, who is handling the matter.

However, Daily Guide was not successful in trying to get the CID Director to give details of the story to the paper.

Ms Asiam?s request for Police protection, follows the barricading of her office at the NDC Headquarters, at Kokomlemle, in Accra, yesterday, by certain elements in the party, who were outraged by her utterances, lately, against the founder of the party.

However, according to Ms Asiam, her utterances do not mean that she has left the party.

She said she intends to hold office until the party goes to congress to elect a new national women?s organiser. Until then she said she was going to concentrate on writing her Phd.

She surmised that, the barricading of the office, was intended to stop her from continuing her work as a national women?s organiser of the Party. Ms Asiam confirmed the locking up of her office by certain members of her party to Daily Guide, when the paper?s reporter bumped into her at the Police Headquarters, yesterday.

She said she met the barricaded office in the morning, when she reported for work, but when she enquired as to what must have warranted that act, no one minded him.

So, she decided to report the matter to the CID boss, and was asked to bring witnesses, today, Thursday, October 27, 2005.

She is, therefore, sending the witnesses to the Police CID Headquarters to enable the CID conduct meaningful investigations into the matter.

Daily Guide has learnt further that, following Frances Asiam?s outbursts against the Rawlingses, particularly on how they coached her to attack the integrity of Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, the party?s national chairman, some NDC women?s activists, including Jemima Anita Desousa, the Okaikoi North deputy organiser of NDC and a serial-caller, have openly threatened her life.

Hordes of NDC activists, made up of Ms Dzidzo Tay, Anita, both serial-callers, and Madam Boatemaa Ening, alias Aishetu, and other youth, converged on the NDC Headquarters, yesterday, at about 2.00pm, ostensibly to attack Ms Asiam, when they learnt that she was on her way from the Police Headquarters, heading towards the NDC headquarters.

They parked their cars ready for a show-down with the NDC women?s organiser, as an old weather-beaten dark-green military Pinz Gaur vehicle stood stationary in front of the party?s head office.

While others were heard shouting, ?Rawlings is our leader; He made his coup out of which NDC came; If he had died, he would have died alone; See, they removed his fingernails, yet this man did not give up, and that?s how come NDC was born; Yet today, somebody wants to take the party away from him ? We won?t allow it?, they chanted. Anita, a serial-caller and the Okai Koi North deputy woman?s organiser of NDC, accused Ms. Asiam of being a double agent.

Speaking to Daily Guide at the party?s headquarters in Accra, yesterday, Anita stated that, Ms. Asiam has been in the pay books of Mr O.B. Amoah, a deputy Minister ofEducation and Sports.

According to her, Ms Frances Asiam was given an amount of ?100 million by an NPP deputy minister to do her business and asked whether this allegation is true or false.

Again, during the 2004 election collation of results at the operations room at the Electoral Commission?s head office in Accra, Anita alleged that Frances leaked information to the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

According to her, it was Frances who told Kwabena Agyepong that the NPP was leading by 48 per cent, while NDC was having 45 per cent, respectively during the collation of the electoral results at the EC?s operations room, in December 2004.

Later Jemima alleged that, the same Frances leaked information to Agyepong that NPP had increased its tally to 50 per cent. Anita alleged that, Frances was giving information to NPP about what was in the computer, this was at a time when Kwabena Agyepong had confessed that NPP?s own computer had given them up.

Furthermore, Anita alleged that, during the Navrongo by-election, she personally saw that Frances had been given wads of money, in ?20,000 denominations.

Anita claimed further that, Frances and a girl went to Dan Botwe to collect an amount of ?20 million, and asked whether that was true or false. She accused Ms Asiam of allegedly convincing Nii Lantey Vaderpuye, the former sports commentator of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC), and then, an aspiring parliamentary candidate for Odododiodioo in 2004, to defect to NPP, so that, she arranged for him to have his court case cancelled by Mr D.K. Osei, secretary to the President.

She also, asked whether it is true or false that, when Frances?s mother died, Rawlings & co. helped her out.

Anita claimed, she heard Frances Asiam saying, Rawlings gave her money, through Victor Smith, to destroy Obed, and asked: ?Now that you?re insulting Rawlings, does it mean you?ve been given money to do that?. Frances Asiam has, meanwhile, denied Jemima Anita Desousa?s claims, and dared her to prove her allegations.

Speaking on Citi FM, yesterday, Ms Asiam stressed that, the money she had on her at Navrongo was ?2.5 million.

She conceded that, Dan Botwe and Hon Yaw Barimah gave her funeral donations, but not in Navrongo.

On the O.B Amoah issue, she pointed out that, that shows how malicious ?these? people are, adding that, she was challenging Ms Dzidzo Tay and Anita Desousa to meet her, in court, to substantiate the allegations, against her.

She pointed out that, whether the money was given to her in Navrongo or Iceland, it doesn?t matter.

On Nii Lantey?s issue, she noted that, indeed she called him, and said he should relax.

Meanwhile, O.B Amoah has denied ever giving Ms Frances Asiam any ?100m, as alleged by Anita Desousa, and threatened to sue anyone who peddles that piece of information about him, without any proof.

Later, Anita fearing a court action made a statement suggesting that, she could not prove her allegation against O.B Amoah, Speaking on Peace FM?s Kokrokro morning show programme, yesterday, Ms Ama Benyiwa-Doe, who is gunning for Ms Frances Asiam?s post, as national women?s organiser, advised her to keep cool, but not wash the party?s linen, in public.