– Cries Suspended Executives

By Gifty Arthur

Suspended executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ledzokuku Constituency of the Greater Accra Region have accused their Regional Chairman of widening the already divided membership of the executives in the Constituency.

They insist certain actions and inactions of Mr. Ade Coker in the Constituency has left it bleeding months after their parliamentary primaries, which saw the ex-Miss Ghana, Benita Sena Okity-Duah, elected as the NDC’s candidate.

They are also surprised as to why Mr. Coker who is expected to bring them together after the Constituency executives failed to unite them, will rather be seen taking sides.

The executives who spoke to The Herald last week, months after they were suspended from the party for supporting an independent candidate, said that the decision by Mr. Coker to ambush them in the Constituency, threatening fire and brimstone on the then Constituency Vice-Chairman, Ben Ayiku was very unfortunate, indeed.

According to the Tebibianor Ward Coordinator, Mr. Awaa Kwei, moment news got to Mr. Coker that Mr. Ayiku had decided to go independent, Chairman Coker drove straight to the constituency’s office asking who the hell, Mr. Ayiku was.

He said Mr. Coker, who was very furious about the development at the office, threw his hands in the air threatening to sack Mr. Ayiku and the rest of them if he goes against the party’s regulations, and goes as an independent candidate.

The NDC Deputy Constituency Women Organizer, Madam Mary Atswei Laryea, who spoke to this paper, corroborated Mr. Kwe’s story, saying some of them had felt disrespected in the process leading to Chairman Coker’s visit that fateful day, as they were not informed of his visit.

She said months after they had failed to attend the usual party meetings as a result of harassments they had received, they wished that Mr. Coker’s visit was to calm nerves, rather he infuriated them making them feel so unwanted.

The woes of these executives were further deepened after the party in the constituency completed investigations and agreed that some 12 executives be suspended indefinitely.

A meeting held on March 12, 2012 and chaired by Mr. Patrick Noagbedzi, resolved that the 12 executives led by Mr. Ben Ayiku, who is reported to be lacing his boots to contest the December elections as an independent candidate, be suspended from the NDC with immediate effect.

Present at the said meeting, were 13 executives and the Parliamentary Candidate, Mrs. Okity-Duah.

The suspended group was found to be organizing meetings and holding activities within the Constituency to promote the course of Mr. Ayiku, to the disadvantage of the party’s Parliamentary candidate.

Excerpts of letters written to the suspended executives revealed that, “the constituency executive committee of Ledzokuku Constituency, through careful investigation, has noticed that you have initiated an Independent Candidate against the party’s candidate elected through due process. Investigation has also revealed that you organized meetings and activities within the Constituency to support that initiative”.

The letter which was copied to all Ward Coordinators in the Constituency, the NDC headquarters, the Commander of the Teshie Police Station and the Constituency Office also accused the suspended executives of playing the tribal card, creating animosity among the various ethnic groups within the party in the Constituency.

“As part of your grand scheme, you have also played the tribal card, created animosity between the various groups within our great party. “This we take exception to since our party (the Great Akatamanso) is one big family”, it said. Their letters which were signed by the Deputy Constituency Secretary, George Kwame, said that the accused have failed on several platforms given them to defend themselves.

The list of the suspended executives include Constituency Organizer Mr. Eric Larbi, the Akro West Ward Coordinator Benjamin Tawiah, Sustrunor Ward Coordinator, Abraham Anetey Abbe and Vicris Branch Chairman Richard Ayiku.

The rest are Assembly Member of Sustrunor Electoral Area Eric Anum Okley, Ngaa Koo Branch Secretary, Frank Adjei, Ngaa Koo Branch Chairman, Nii Ashai Sinbad, Krobo Bukom Branch Chairman, Mr. Oko and Congo Café Branch Youth Organizer, Mr. Akwetey.

Mr. Awaa Kwei explained to The Herald that they refused to attend party meetings because after the primaries those of them who did not support Mrs. Okity-Duah were vilified, humiliated and hooted at by her sympathizers.

The suspended executives said they had decided to stay away from programmes of the party including meetings as their safety could not be guaranteed, citing the slapping of one Aziz, who raised an objection to an issue during one of such meetings. Moreso, the notice served on the commander of the Teshie Police to perhaps arrest them, makes them apprehensive.

For this reason, they have resolved to canvass and vote for Mr. Ayiku, if he decides to contest as an independent candidate, but will vote for Prof. John Mills, as president.

Miss Laryea, who was Mrs. Okity-Duah’s deputy until her election as the parliamentary candidate, said they could not work with her because she is very arrogant, so has long drawn the battle line with her supporters by telling them to bring a hundred independent candidates, and that she will defeat them unequivocally.

She accused Benita of playing the tribal card by sacking some three coordinators who were Gas, and replacing two of them with Ewes.

Miss Laryea who supported the outgoing MP, Nii Nortey Duah, said she was not bothered about the suspension but thought that the party must be put in a proper shape for the for coming elections.

She accused another executive Mr. Seth Emmanuel Bedzrah of claiming that the Gas in the area represents only 25%. The Herald’s checks from the Regional Office indicate that it has been informed of the confusion in the Constituency.

The Region Propaganda Secretary, Nii Duodo Ankrah, confirmed Mr. Ayiku failed to respond to their calls to discuss the issue, hence he was officially written to and given June 16, this month to provide responses to the allegations raised against him.

Mr. Duah also confirmed that a youth group within the Ledzokuku Constituency last week presented a petition to the region, requesting that they take measures to solve the problems in the Constituency, and the party is working on this.