A group belonging to the New Patriotic Party in the Northern regional capital, Tamale, has alleged that the party’s regional chairman, Mr. Bugri Naabu hired them to stage a massive demonstration against President Akuffo Addo – who is due to visit the region on Friday, 6th October, 2017, as part of a three-day working tour and some two top regional officers.

This latest disclosure has deepened tensions among party executives in the region after divisions caused by the leakage on Sunday of an official document at the Regional Coordinating Council asking Metropolitan Municipal Chief Executives to finance the visit of the president.

“We wish to bring to the notice of Ghanaians and members of our party that the plans of some section of the party’s youth to stage a demonstration against His Excellency President Nana Addo, the Northern Regional Minister and the Mayor of Tamale, Mr. Musah Superior, this week before the president arrives is masterminded by chairman, Bugri Naabu”, a statement issued by the group on Tuesday revealed.

The demonstration was also targeted at the Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed and Mayor of Tamale, Musah Superior and intended to disgrace the president as revenge for lowering his authority as leader of the party, the statement added.

The group, ‘Get All on Deck’ said the protest was scheduled to occur this Thursday, a day before the arrival of the President.

The group members said they together with other groups were part of the “grand scheme” but they decided to blow the cover because they realized after intense deliberations that the chairman “only wanted to use us for his parochial and selfish interest”.

The group added further that the decision to speak out publicly against the plot was because some of the members hired by the party chairman to join the protest were known members of the opposition party. They claimed they found that the chairman’s intention was to destabilize and frustrate efforts of the Minister and the Mayor.

“Some of our members who can be identified were Rashid and Habib who are known allies of Bugri Naabu and those who always organize the youth all these while. For the avoidance of doubt, you may have heard that, some youth group last Saturday stormed the chairman’s residence with a petition, complaining about some issues against the northern regional minister. This is one of the schemes of Chairman Bugri Naabu. He paid us GH10, 000.00 to carry out the operation this time around”.

According to the group, the chairman paid them to protest against the President over issues concerning the appointment of MMDCEs in the region that has upset Bugri who had issued threats to quit his position.

The minister vehemently denies all the charges and maintained he has a friendly relationship with the chairman.

The group added that the chairman instructed them to target the Mayor and Regional Minister in the plot because he (Bugri Naabu) believed the two appointees were against his chairmanship ambition. Bugri has repeatedly accused the Minister, in particular of supporting other potential candidates to unseat him as regional chairman. He, at a point suggested to the president to fire the minister.

The group also drew the attention of the security agencies to stop the chairman from “causing mayhem and advised the chairman to address concerns through dialogue and negotiations and eschew violent confrontation.

Responding to the statement, Bugri Naabu roundly denied meeting with any group and said the claims by the youth was “concoction and nothing but concoction”.

“I don’t know any group at all; no group has come to me neither I have met with any group and I don’t see why I’m receiving the president and will ask the youth to demonstrate against him.”