Trouble Brews Over NPP MP

Tension is continually brewing between the Gbegbe cell number one executives of the Gbebu ward of the National Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ablekuma South constituency and their Member of Parliament (MP), Hon. Theresa Amerley Tagoe over the allegation that she is sowing seeds of discord among party members in the area.

The executives claimed that after the 2000 Presidential and Parliamentary elections, which saw the MP retaining the seat through their hard work and dedication, whenever they (registered field members of the party) called upon her as a mother, she would ignore them and prefer others, whom they described as dubious characters who have come to feast on the party over them.

They complained that as a result of they being marginalized by the MP, efforts by the ward executives to form the NPP women's wing in the area as is done in other areas, proved futile.

According to them, she rather by-passed the entire members and formed an NGO called "UNIWAF" through which they alleged, the MP has diverted the government's Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) meant for the area.

This, the executives intimated, has in fact, caused a big division among the women of the party in the constituency.

In a petition addressed to the NPP General Secretary, Mr. Dan Botwe, the NPP members called on the national executive of the party to, as a matter of urgency, call up the matter to bring peace to the area.

According to the petition, the ward executives lamented that the MP has totally deserted them and now listens and takes advice from one Abednego Tettey Tetteh, whom they believed is an NDC spy within the NPP camp, who is leaking vital information to the opposition camp.

They supported their reason of stating that "During one of our meetings, a quarrel ensued between two of our members which ended at the Dansoman Police Station, when we called on our mother, the MP, to help withdraw the matter from the police station, she refused to heed to our plea until the case was sent to a community tribunal."

Another reason the executives gave is where the MP was said to have abandoned a planned MP forum organised on her behalf by them because just within that time, the alleged NDC Tetteh, who seems to be the MP's favourite, organised another forum.

When Chronicle contacted Botwe to verify the claims, he first denied ever receiving any petition from such a group as ward executives.