NPP Chairman removed for alleged embezzlement

The Council of Elders and the entire membership of the Agona-West branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have removed Mr Adofo Gwamena as Acting Chairman for financial malfeasance.

Mr Kwaku Ackom, the first Vice Chairman has been elected Chairman in an election supervised by officials of the Electoral Commission (EC).

Addressing an emergency meeting at Agona Swedru on Monday, Mr Ackom said Mr Gwamena's continued stay in office would be "disastrous to the party".

Mr Ackom alleged that Mr Gwamena has embezzled monies given to him by the party for polling assistants in the December 2000 general elections and 600 dollars air tickets given by the Government to any member of the Muslim Community in the constituency to travel to Mecca this year.

According to him the Acting Chairman pulled a pistol to shoot Mr Charles Asare, a party member who challenged him on the alleged embezzlement.

He further alleged that the acting Chairman fraudulently manipulated the party executives at various polling stations to his position as the Chairman.

According to him, Mr Gwamena adopted "divide and rule" tactics among the constituency executives in taking important decisions to create confusion within the party.

Mr Ackom said President John Agyekum Kuffour's pronouncement of zero tolerance for corruption would only be achieved if members of the party have the courage to expose wrong doings in the society including the party.

He said the Central Regional Executive appointed Mr Gwamena as the interim chairman and addressed all correspondence concerning the constituency to him adding that the position of acting chairman does not exist in the NPP's constitution and the party executive objected to it.

He said Mr Gwamena sidelined five out of the nine executives for his "dubious" activities.