Aftermath of `successful` congress

NDC ACTS ON MILLS` ORDERS
… Investigates congress bribery allegations
Posted: The Chronicle |Monday, January 25, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

The ruling party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has begun investigations into bribery and vote-buying allegations which rocked its women and youth congresses.
This follows an order given by President Mills at the party’s recent National Delegates’ Congress in Tamale that the newly-elected executives should investigate the issue, and get to the bottom of the matter.

President Mills, after telling the people that he had no faction in the party, was also unhappy with the fact that some of the people surrounding him had been named in the allegation.

The Chronicle has gathered that one of the contestants who lost at the youth congress held in Sunyani, has taken advantage of the order by the President, to file a petition at the National Secretariat of the party to investigate a number of allegations he has made against some of his opponents in the race, and leading members of the party.

The petitioner, Mohammed Abdulai Mubarak, alias Ras Mubarak, has named the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr. Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, and Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda, and their agents, as some of the leading members who supported wrongdoings at the youth congress.

The rest include the Deputy Finance Minister, Fifi Kwetey, Director of Communications at the Office of the President, Koku Anyidoho, and Ludwig Hlodze, a presidential staffer, who contested and won the position of National Youth Organiser.

The party chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei, would neither confirm nor deny receipt of the petition and subsequent investigation.

“Do you want me to say we are investigating,” he asked this reporter when contacted on phone yesterday.

In the petition, which was copied to President Mills and former President Rawlings among others, he accused the aforementioned individuals of using the name and office of President Mills, to get Ludwig Hlodze elected as the National Youth Organiser of the NDC, at the recent youth congress in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo regional capital, on January 9, this year.

According to Mubarak, the entire process for the election was hijacked by these ministers and presidential staffers, to get the outcome they wanted. “The pretensions of ministers and presidential staffers on being neutral players, took a different turn, when they told delegates: ‘Ludwig is the President’s man’ and ‘only the President’s man’ can get things done for them,” he noted.

According to the petitioner, the Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, “used his official residence as the epicenter of the fraud against the youth of the party,” stressing: “he presided over a meeting of all ten regional youth organisers.”

The meeting was said to have been attended by persons, including Michael Kumbor, who was a candidate in the youth congress, Ludwig Hlodze (a candidate himself), Koku Anyidoho and Alhaji Collins Dauda, Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.

At the said meeting, the aggrieved Mubarak claimed that Michael Kumbor was told he had to step down, because Ludwig had the approval of the President, since according to him, the so-called ‘castle team’ told the delegates not to allow the perceived ‘Rawlings camp’ to win the youth leadership of the party.

“All ten regional youth organisers were told they had to ‘do everything to get Ludwig elected,’ because the President will be embarrassed if he lost,” he alleged.

In the case of Haruna Iddrisu, his accuser said at 10:36 p.m. on January 8, 2010, he went to the delegates’ village, where delegates from the Northern, Upper East, Upper West regions, and members of TEIN were being housed. When the Minister arrived, Mubarak noted that one of the contenders for the position of youth organiser – Abdul Rahman Gundadoo was addressing members of TEIN.

There and then, he noted: “the minister interrupted the meeting, and asked Gundadoo not to contest,” emphasising: “the reason for asking the candidate to step down, was ostensibly to get delegates from the Northern Region to support Ludwig.”

“Indeed, one of the regional youth organisers from the Northern Region, had confirmed to me Gundadoo was sponsored by Haruna to scuttle my votes from the Northern Region.

And as if by divine intervention, the said candidate on the day of election, told delegates, in the full glare of the media, that he was stepping down because ‘they had asked him to step down’,” he stated.

Furthermore, Mubarak claims that GH¢20 each, a mobile phone and T-shirts were given to delegates in exchange for votes.

That notwithstanding, Mubarak alleged that inducements for votes and promises of auctioned vehicles were made to delegates from other regions. At one of such meetings on the morning of January 9, 2010 with delegates from the Ashanti Region, he indicated that the Deputy Minister of state repeated similar promises, saying: “He told them Ludwig was at the Castle and had the ear of the president.”

Due to this, Mubarak believes “the incompetence of the organisers of the youth congress, created an opportunity for some of the candidates to exploit a bad situation.”

This, according to him, was evident in the fact that the delegates were housed in mosquito infested dormitories, with poor toilet facilities, and without meals, to enable one Siidi Musah Abubakar, a candidate in the race, to provide hotel accommodation for the delegates, thereby compromising their ability to vote without thinking.

He, however, noted that all of this happened at a time the party needed to build bridges and mend fences, stressing: “Ludwig himself confirmed receiving support from government appointees when he spoke to Joy FM, in response to my accusations on Sunday January 10, 2010. We cannot allow this to happen in our party,” he added.

Ras Mubarak, as he is affectionately called, has therefore appealed to President Mills to cause an investigation of the aforementioned individuals, who used his name in an internal party election, noting with emphasis: “what they have done, is to deepen perception of factionalism in the party.” “At a time when party unity was very critical, the ‘special interest group’ – using the name of the President, acted in a manner that leaves many observers wondering about their commitment to the unity of the party,” he noted.

He has therefore appealed to the President to ask the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Alhaji Collins Dauda, Deputy Finance Minister, Fifi Kwetey, Communications Director at the Presidency and Ludwig Hlodze, a presidential staffer, to all step aside as his appointees, for using the President’s name for their personal agenda. Mubarak has also asked the leadership of the party to immediately condemn this act of subversion, and offer appropriate sanctions to be meted out against the government appointees.

Attempts to reach the individuals, whose names have been mentioned on their cell phones, proved futile, since most of them, including the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, Fifi Kwetey and Koku Anyidoho, did not answer their phones.

They did not also respond to text messages sent to their phones.

Alhaji Collins Dauda and Ludwig Hlodze also had their phones switched off.

Ashanti NPP Chair mad at Nana Addo

Posted: The Chronicle |Friday, January 22, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

A meeting between the 2008 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, and 15 out of the 39 constituency chairmen in the Ashanti Region, has resulted in tension among the executives of the party.
The meeting, which was held at the Ahodwo residence of one of Nana Addo’s chief campaign strategists, Dr. Kwame Amoako Tuffuor, over the weekend, has angered the remaining 24 constituency chairmen who were not invited to the programme, since they were perceived to be supporters of Alan Kyerematen.

The Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Yaw Amankwaa, who confirmed the tension in an interview with this reporter, alleged that at the said programme, Nana Addo mentioned the names of certain individuals as his preferred choice of candidates for specific positions in the party.

Nana Addo, reportedly, told the chairmen that he supports F. F. Anto for the position of Ashanti Regional Chairman, and Jake Obetsebi Lamptey as National Chairman, instead of former National Vice Chairman, Stephen Ntim.

The Regional Chairman could therefore not fathom why Nana Addo took such an initiative by inviting only 15 out of the 39 constituency chairmen in the region for the said meeting, since it breeds disunity in the party.

To him, somebody who is seeking re-election to lead the party should not have indulged in such as an exercise.

“As a man who is seeking to become the president of Ghana, he should be seen as unifier, so if in his own party, we have 39 constituency chairmen, including all the party executives, and he chooses 15 as those he can deal with, and also backs candidates who are contesting for both regional and national chairmen, and openly stating that he cannot work with Ntim, but Jake, then he has drawn the battle lines,” he said, adding, “even if you are elected as the flagbearer, what are you going to tell the remaining 24 of the 39, since you have already chosen 15?”

He accused Nana Addo of dividing the party, stressing: “this has become a major source of worry and pain for members of the party in the region, especially the executives. I think some of us should sit down with him and advise him so that he would either rescind his decision, or render an apology to the other party members he says he will not be able to work with.”

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer for Nana Addo, Herbert Krampa, confirmed that Nana Addo was in Kumasi over the weekend.

Mr. Krampa also admitted Nana held a series of meetings whilst in Kumasi, some of which were held behind closed doors with some individuals and group of persons, but could not tell whether he indeed met the 15 constituency chairmen.

He however denied Nana Addo asking the constituency chairmen to vote for his preferred choice of candidates in the impending regional and national elections, since according to him, Nana Addo would not do any such thing, let alone give them monies to influence their decision in the impending elections.

Meanwhile, firebrand NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for the Assin-North constituency, and known supporter of Nana Addo, Kennedy Agyepong, has criticised a list of names making rounds in the party, suggesting certain names and individuals as preferred candidates of the presidential aspirants.

He could not fathom the extent to which factionalism was gaining roots in the party. Speaking on Oman FM’s ‘National Agenda’ morning show on Tuesday, the MP, whose no-nonsense attitude has earned him the nickname ‘Akompreko,’ asked delegates in the impending national congress of the NPP, to vote for competent people, regardless of their supposed camps.

He particularly did not understand why a person like Stephen Amoah, who he described as hard-working, loyal and competent, should not be voted for to become national youth organiser of the party.

When most party people were scared to come out during the 2008 presidential run off, he noted that this gentleman was visiting about nine radio stations a week, all in defence of the party.

His comments are said to have sparked a debate in the Nana Addo camp, since some people feel he is breaking ranks.

Mr. Agyepong, however, repeated his comments on Citi FM’s ‘Eye-witness’ programme, hosted by Shamimah Muslim, the same day, saying that the supposed Nana Addo, Alan factions were tearing the party apart, and could possibly affect the chances of the NPP in the 2012 general

WHY NPP BOYCOTTED NDC CONGRESS

…Was denied entry into congress grounds
Posted: The Chronicle |Wednesday, January 20, 2010

By Charles Takyi - Boadu

Details have started emerging as to why the largest opposition party in the country, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), did not put up an appearance at the just-ended national delegates’ congress of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), and though initial speculations were that the party deliberately failed to turn up, this has turned out to be false.
The Communications Director of the party, Kwaku Kwarteng, told The Chronicle in an interview in Accra yesterday, that they duly received an invitation from the ruling party to attend the congress.

The National Secretariat also delegated their northern regional executives to represent them, but they were denied entry into the congress grounds, for the simple reason that they did not have accreditation to enter the place. “When we got there, the people at the gate said that we needed accreditation,” he noted.

This, according to him, compelled the NPP General Secretary, Nana Ohene-Ntow, to call his NDC counterpart, Asiedu Nketiah, but because he was apparently busy, he could not pick the call.

According to him, though the NPP delegation explained to the security men that they had been invited to attend the congress, they would simply not listen to them, so long as they were not having the necessary accreditation.

After several attempts to reach Asiedu Nketiah had proved unsuccessful, the delegation decided to leave venue to avoid any confrontation with the security men on duty.

“They were issuing accreditation badges, and properly speaking, we should have been given some of those badges, or when we got to the invitation, we should have gotten to the NDC (I don’t know I’m just guessing) and then, they would prepare accreditation for those going or something,” he stated. However, the NPP Communications Director does not think the NDC did that to deliberately prevent the NPP from appearing at its congress, since according to him, they would not get anything from doing that.

To him, some of these things would not occur next time, since the NPP had nothing against the NDC, so-much-so that it would deliberately fail to attend its congress.