Stormy meeting over Yankey in Lome

By Press time yesterday, the President of the ECOWAS Bank for Investment and Development (EBID), Dr. George Yankey, had agreed to step down just before an extraordinarily explosive meeting failed to secure a consensus of the Board of the Bank to okay an intense but brutal effort from Ghana to effect his ouster.

Officially, Yankey has not been dismissed but awaiting a court case in Abuja, Nigeria, challenging moves by Ghana to remove him.

Chronicle first hand information from sources in the secretariat corroborating 'deeper' intel reports have it that Dr. Yankey was invited to a meeting at which Mr. Lansana Kayote from Guinea, current Executive Secretary of ECOWAS, was present and another official whose identity could not be captured by a night vision camera by Chronicle paparazzo lurking in the shadows.

The point was made to Dr. Yankey at the meeting that pressure from the Ghanaian side represented forcefully and adversarialy by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ghana Mr. Hackman Owusu-Agyemang had placed President Eyadema in a situation where he had had to demand that Yankey hand over the keys to his official residence and his office which is situated on his home soil by last weekend.

He could, however, continue to stay on in Togo if he so wished, but not in his official capacity, adding that Eyadema had forged a good relation with Ghana lately and did not want to breach that because he might also require some kind of cooperation from Ghana at some point in time.

Yankey surrendered last Sunday night and failed to turn up at his office on Monday.

The EBID meeting itself was split as Ministers and Board members of the Bank argued for and against the request from Ghana to seek the removal of the President of the Bank.

It was deadlocked on point of justice and fair play and deferred for the courts to rule.

The Nigerian Minister for Regional Cooperation made the most telling argument of the day that captured the sentiments of those rooting for due processes and the rule of law when he commented on the ruling of the Abuja court which set aside the termination of the appointment of Dr. Yankey in a letter from the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government on April 23. He said ECOWAS is governed by treaties and it is the Council of Ministers that had the requisite powers.

The court issued a restraining order that stayed the execution of that order. Dr. Yankey has remained in office until last Sunday.

Hon. Abimbola Ogunkelu, with some heat to the full assembly yesterday, argued: ECOWAS supports the rule of law, Nigerians have fought dictatorship over the years and has now secured a democratic culture, one that subscribes to the rule of law.

He noted that he could sue President Obasanjo if he so wishes, and ECOWAS cannot claim immunity from legal action, a legal strategy that the nay sayers were pushing for.

Ogunkelu stressed that the injunction given by the Abuja court should be respected until they get a clear and final ruling from the court.

Chronicle also gathered that Dr. Kwesi Nduom, Ghana's Minister for Economic Development and Regional Integration sought to clarify the loud arguments that Ghana was disrespecting the Abuja courts and seeking to remove Yankey merely because of politics.

He is quoted to have said that Yankey was needed to answer charges of malfeasance, a point that was hastily rebutted by a Senegalese delegate who emphasized that a man is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

Incidentally, Yankey has been travelling to court in Ghana each time he has had to report for the fast track court on the Quality Grain affair in which Dr. Yankey played a role. He is on bail and the law allows him to earn his living while he is on trial because of that principle.

Hon. Hackman Owusu, the Foreign Minister, yesterday told newsman that Dr. Yankey had been sacked but was silent on the court case that stopped the action even though he is fully aware of it.

Records indicate that Dr. Yankey was appointed in December 22, 2000.

The NPP government swept to power on the wings of mass disaffection for the dictatorial tendencies, mass corruption and arrogance of power of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) nearly one week after on December 28th 2001 and assumed the levers of power and Government on January 7, 2001.

The impasse may put a dimmer on the issue of Dr. Ibn Chambas' nomination for the position of Executive Secretary of ECOWAS as Yankey may have to be sacrificed.

Dr. Yankey is perceived to be an NDC member.

'Innocent commentators' have sought to view the Yankey reporting as a Public Relations effort uniformed about the deeper political and legal insights that may burst out in flames in the coming times. (Chronicle is expectiang a full eyewitness account of the ECOWAS meeting and may obtain minutes too).