NDC is dying in Volta Region

The activities of the once buoyant National Democratic Congress (NDC) are gradually grinding to a halt in the Volta Region, which the party, in their good days proudly dubbed its 'world bank' because it garnered the greater percentage of its electoral votes there.

The Chronicle says it is a situation that should give Dr Obed Asamoah and Mr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, frontliners in the NDC reorganization crusade sleepless nights.

The party in the region is reportedly smarting under huge debts some of them from the high profile national delegates congress at Ho, which among other things, endorsed former Vice-President Atta Mills as the party's flagbearer for the 2000 elections.

Eighteen months after the extra-ordinary national congress, sawn timber bought for the erection of the Presidential dais and band stands have not been paid for, though reports have it that money was released for the purpose. Canopies and chair bills have also not been fully settled.

Party officials are forced into playing hide and seek as a result of persistent demands by the creditors for the payment of these bills running into several millions of cedis.

The former Volta Regional Minister, Col. Charles Kofi Agbenaza, ex-DCE, Capt. Kofi Nfodjo and the Regional Secretary, Yao Kumah Adanu, were responsible for the purchase of the boards and hiring of canopies and chairs.

An amount of ?20 million meant for "chop-bar" keepers in the Ho township to provide food for the teaming supporters of the NDC who invaded the regional capital for the congress was diverted.

Kumah Adanu, Regional Secretary of the NDC, said monies ranging from ?200,000 to ?500,000 were loaned to some selected traditional caterers however, the Chronicle found out that Goldfinger, a restaurant jointly owned by Capt. Nfodjo and his wife, was paid ?4 million, while the GPRTUC also received ?5 million to provide vehicles to convey NDC supporters to the North who were said to be stranded at Ho.

The result of these disclosures of malfeasance on the part of some regional officials of the party is that the mass of the party's following have become apathetic with some vowing never again to allow themselves to be used and fooled. “Monkey cannot work for baboon to chop”, one Ward Chairman of the party in the Ho East constituency reportedly told the Chronicle.