Opinions of Friday, 5 November 2010

Columnist: Dzaka, OBrian Mawuena

Avedzi crosses bounds into electoral area re-demarcation politics!

Hon. Avedzi crosses bounds into electoral area re-demarcation politics! Gets more seats for his home town-Weta in mafia fashion.

The ruling NDC has consciously overlooked malicious activities of its member of parliament for Ketu-North and ranking member for Finance Hon. James Klutse Avedzi for two years now; a development that will seriously derail the party’s chances in Ketu-North constituency come 2012 if not checked.

Looking back, Hon. Avedzi in connivance with Henry Ametepe the current NDC regional organiser and Bertha Amenuvor (NDC deputy treasurer) in year 2009, plotted a “dirty election” to elect constituency executives for the NDC party in Ketu-north, at a time of court injunction on the congress to elect such executives due to several legal issues raised against a contender for the constituency chairmanship one Moses Azaglo. This issue is well known among NDC party-men on the ground in Ketu North, and it is no secret that that act of imposition of chairman; which is still under resistance was in response to a failed attempt to impose their same favourite Moses Azaglo as DCE for the people and after failing_ they needed to desperately find a position for the man of “little integrity” as far as Ketu North is concerned, and who doubles as the MP Avedzi’s best pal. This man Moses Azaglo now carries himself as constituency chairman of the party but cannot use the party office at Dzodze; a situation that is strictly as a result of the patronage of him by only one person and not the party.

The new phase of the ensuing politics of malice by M.P Avedzi and his henchman Moses is to lobby and move 70% of the newly demarcated electoral areas by the EC and Ministry of Local Government to Weta Traditional area also in Ketu North district, though the area is of a much smaller size and smaller population too, all in a bid to square off the number of elected representatives from Weta with those from Dzodze; for reasons that could be none other than mischief play! And the MP credits himself of such successes or developments, which raises so many questions bothering on discrimination against Dzodze, Penyi and Afife zones. The issue is that, out of thirteen new electoral areas been created, the MP has lobbied to get ten for his home town of Weta which is only one of four zones in the Ketu North district. Dzodze which is far heavily populated and fast growing due to its strategic location is to have two and Afife one. Penyi is to have none! Attempts by this writer to get the consent of the DCE Hon. Kofi Lawson on the development proved futile, but this is a matter that should concern all and sundry, who detest power-politics, revenge, discrimination, desperation, sabotage and abuse of systems by our leaders.

This writer wishes to remind the NDC, to be weary of the activities of self-seeking men like Hon. James Avedzi in our great party. These men most often than not are careless and would engage in all manner of clandestine acts to strengthen their hold onto power; and sometimes such attempts though successful today can disastrously back-fire in the near future due to their delicate nature; and they are sensitive because of varying chieftaincy regimes. Each zone is a traditional area in this case, and so when issues are raised it sometimes possibly gets misinterpreted.

As our youth, men and women toiled for our party in 2004 and again 2008 for James Avedzi to win elections against Hon. Kofi Dzamesi, then Regional Minister and also a son of our land; little did the NDC people envisage the heartless, selfish and careless manner Avedzi would finally relate to us all upon retaining or given power again.
We in the Ketu North NDC are very ready to remove James Avedzi through all means politically possible come December 2012 and this should be clear now! We therefore want to caution that if our party is to remain united and strong in Ketu North, then relevant consultation and cross-involvement should be the guiding principles that lead us forward. Let us respect each other as party folks and our party-leadership in the region should wake up to the fact that they are watching Ketu North rot! The regional executives could best be seen as party to the problems of Ketu North, and this is easy to tell because; they keep sending Henry Ametepe on missions to Ketu North which has problems that he Henry is indeed part of. The general regional executives of the NDC-Volta Region except Henry Ametepe clearly do not understand that Ketu North has problems and neither do they seem to have any clue on solving it! Whether it is that the “finance committee seating monies” Avedzi promised to use in buying delegates always have started making rounds at our party regional office is yet to be uncovered; but if that is the case of the supposedly neutral NDC executives in the region, then God save us our party!

The issues of Ketu North that can be resolved should be worked on now I must say again. All parties in the distortion caused by few should, be invited and the issues looked into in very unbiased and healthy manner. Politically malicious set-ups by an MP as in the issue of the current electoral area re-demarcation exercise should be re-visited in Ketu-North, and the right thing should be done; and we should have on board all relevant stakeholders. The NDC party and government should uphold its principles and constitution which indisputably fits into Ghana’s laws; in order that party people would know where they stand and the way forward for them! Let us not allow abuse of the laws and systems by greedy politicians. And let us in the NDC not allow money to buy justice as we have begun to see in the Ketu North NDC!

The “buga-buga” in-house politics should be stopped now or we live to regret as a party come December 2012
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Long live the NDC!
O’Brian Dzaka
(NDC man-obraindzaka”yahoo.com)