….. as Bole executives boycott him

Damongo constituency chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Mr. Wilifred Mmbem, on Monday, 21st September, publicly rebuked Mr. Alan Kyerematen, a presidential aspirant, for the lack of respect shown to constituency executives when he visited the constituency to campaign for the flagbearership contest of the party slated for 18th October 2014.

At a meeting between polling station and constituency executives, Mr. Mmbem, who read from a prepared speech, registered his displeasure, in the presence of Mr. Kyerematen and all the executives gathered, at the sidelining of all the constituency executives in preparation for the visit of Mr. Kyerematen.

According to Mr. Mmbem, one Mr. Tahiru, Alan Kyerematen’s focal person in the Northern Region, was the one who called for the meeting of constituency executives from Damongo, as opposed to the Party’s norm of the Constituency Chairman who is solely responsible for the gathering of executives to meet presidential aspirants.

“I wish to register my displeasure at developments in the manner which your coming has created. The constituency executives have been put aside whilst arrangements have been carried out by a 3rd party, unknown to constituency executives. The 5 aspirants, now 3, are all capable of leading the party. We cannot and will not discriminate. They are our people and the structures put in place by the party are in the interest of all of them. As such the structures must be given due recognition. I sincerely believe Mr. Tahiru (focal person) will ensure that such an unfortunate incident will not happen again,” Mr. Mmbem stated.

Checks conducted in the constituency prior to the arrival of Mr. Kyerematen revealed that all 15 constituency executives together with a majority of polling station executives had planned to boycott the meeting with Alan Kyerematen because of the lack of respect shown the executives by Mr. Kyerematen’s team.

Apparently, constituency and polling station executives were informed of Mr. Kyerematen’s arrival to the constituency in the evening of Sunday, 21st September by Mr. Tahiru, instead of the Constituency Chairman.

Sources indicate that it had to take the intervention of the constituency chairman to convince the delegates to show up at the meeting, despite the lack of recognition accorded them by Mr. Kyerematen and his team.

Despite the public rebuke, Mr. Mmbem congratulated Mr. Kyerematen for making it through the Special Electoral College and urged him and his campaign team to eschew all forms of negative campaigning which have so far been associated with members from his team.

Meanwhile, sources in the Bole constituency have revealed that barely 9 delegates turned up at the constituency to meet Mr. Kyerematen.