NPP Chairman Chased

Belligerent supporters of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Efutu Constituency of the Central Region, descended on the constituency chairman, Mr Enoch Annan, last week Monday, September 5, 2005, calling for his head for allegedly conducting secret elections for polling station executives.

The angry party men, who were prevented from beating up the chairman and some members of his executive only because they could not lay hands on the latter group, further, alleged that he conducted the election at an odd hour, thus denying the older members of the constituency executive of the party the chance to contest in the elections.

The rowdy supporters also accused the chairman of conducting the polling station elections without prior notice to the rank and file of NPP supporters and therefore forestalling the participation of certain persons who were interested in certain positions from contesting.

According to them, "The Effutu Constituency chairman of the NP, Mr Enoch Annan, and his executive have carried themselves in a way that has sidelined certain party members including most of the present polling station chairpersons, preventing them from participating in the polling station elections, which is the pillar of the party at the grassroots." The aggressive party supporters descended upon Mr Enoch Annan and his executive at about 9.15pm, when they made an attempt to conduct polling station elections at Atekyedo, without the knowledge of the current polling station chairman, Mr. E. Quansah.

They chased away Mr Enoch Annan and his executive who managed to escape unhurt, information available to newsmen indicates. A press released signed by all the 42 polling station executives in the Efutu Constituency branch of the NPP states among other things that, they have lost confidence in the Effutu Constituency NPP executive. The polling agents have thus put forth a demand that a neutral party body be set up to conduct the polling station executive elections, to allow all interested in positions to contest. The angry party men also demanded that all of the elections already held be declared null and void.