Hon. (Lawyer) Alfred Agbesi, Member of Parliament (MP) for Ashaiman constituency, was over the weekend hospitalized after he was allegedly beaten up by his party chairman, Alhaji Issifu Braimah popularly known as Chief Driver.

Alhaji Braimah was alleged to have pounced on the MP, following his refusal to support party activists who are on rampage seizing public toilets and lorry stations in the constituency.

The alleged assault took place during a National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency meeting at Ashaiman last Thursday at the party’s office.

DAILY GUIDE was reliably informed that the MP openly disagreed with the manner in which the NDC Youth Task Force in the constituency had virtually taken the law into its hands, and opined that due process be followed at all times. This did not go down well with the chairman, who subsequently engaged Hon. Agbesi in a physical showdown.

According to an eyewitness account, the MP parried away the first of two blows delivered by the chairman, but was unfortunate to have been hit by the third which landed right in his face.

Even though it was not clear whether he bled, it was evident that the MP was given urgent medical attention thereafter at the Tema General Hospital, and later at the Narh-Bita Hospital. The matter was also reported to the police.

Confirming the story, the Ashaiman Divisional Crime Officer who declined to give his name explained that the MP, at about 5:45 pm on Thursday, reported the case of assault to his office, and was given a medical form to go the hospital, adding that investigations had started into the report.

“The party chairman was invited and questioned about the alleged assault and he verbally denied assaulting the MP,” he stated.

The Crime Officer said the MP was yet to get back to his office for an official statement to be taken from him.

When this paper contacted Lawyer Agbesi on phone, he also confirmed that he was indeed violently attacked and that he was on admission at the General Hospital where he was receiving treatment.

At about 6:50pm last Friday when DAILY GUIDE checked at the Narh-Bitah Hospital (Prof. W. Z. Coker Ward) where the MP was moved to, party activists who were present pleaded that the MP was not in a good condition to talk to the paper.

However, on Saturday morning, the MP’s bed was found empty and a nurse hinted the paper that Hon. Agbesi was moved to an undisclosed ward to avoid the never-ending visitors who were trooping the place to express their sympathy.

Other constituency party officials whom this paper tried talking to were tight-lipped over the matter.

The MP reportedly spoke to Joy FM, an Accra-based radio station, from his hospital bed and explained how he was attacked. He said he intervened when the meeting got raucous, and wanted to calm tempers down when the chairman attacked him.

“When I said please allow the people to explain, the next thing was a blow, which I blocked. Within a second came another one,” Lawyer Agbesi was reported to have narrated to the radio station.

He was reported to have remarked that blistering as the blows were; he managed to remain on his feet without visiting the canvas.

When contacted on phone, Alhaji Braimah denied the allegation and expressed shock at the manner in which the MP was handling the issue.

He admitted that indeed, there was an argument between the two of them but vehemently denied ever hitting the MP.

“My brother, how can I do that? I never hit him. The MP is someone I know to have blood pressure problems so when this happened, I think his pressure went up and that was why he sought medical attention,” he remarked.

He told the paper he was on his way to the hospital to visit the MP and asked that if he indeed fought the MP, why would he have taken that decision to visit him at the hospital.