....police Go to the Rescue

A TIMELY intervention by security personnel detailed to ensure law and order at the abortive Jomoro constituency congress of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) saved the hard working regional party chairman, Mr. Peter Mac Manu and his regional executive members from being lynched by a section of the unrepented Jomoro supporters.

The supporters had accused their chairman and his men of corruption among other unprintable allegations.

Mr. Manu's crime was that he accepted a protest lodged by a faction of the supporters who reportedly belong to the camp of the former Jomoro Constituency chairman of the party, Mr. S. A. Blay, popularly known as Kukrudu Blay, and decided to go to the ground to ascertain the genuineness of some of the names submitted to the regional executive who voted at the congress.

Though it was the same supporters who allegedly belong to the camp of S.A.

Blay that caused the protest, they did not understand why Mr. Manu and his team should go to the extent of reviewing the list.

Based on this, they stormed the hall where the election was being held and took the occupants hostage amid the raining of insults.

Giving the background to the unfortunate incident which has further soiled the reputation of the NPP Jomoro supporters, a source at the regional headquarters of the party told Chronicle that on September 25, this year, the regional executives went to Nvelenu also in the Jomoro district to hold the once postponed constituency congress to elect executives to run the party in the Jomoro area.

According to the source, when the congress began around 12 midday, Mr. Manu and his men detected that S.A. Blay who was to contest the chairmanship and people believed to be his supporters were conspicuously absent.

This prompted the regional party chairman to instruct that a vehicle with public address system went round the Jomoro villages to announce the commencement of the congress.

The source further said just as the electoral commission officials began the roll call of candidates who constitute the electoral college, Blay's supporters began to trickle in only to protest that they were not satisfied with the names being called as electoral college members.

They based their protest on 13 polling stations.

Based on this, the regional executives headed by Manu decided to review the list but when the protesters realised that their nocturnal activities which were not known were going to be exposed, they disrupted proceedings and took the occupants of the hall hostage amid threats of beatings if they (executives) dared challenge their action.

The were later freed by the security personnel compelling the regional party chairman to call off the congress.

An independent investigation conducted by the Chronicle revealed that the confusion caused by the supporters has ethnic undertones.

It was established that Jomoro has two main ethnic groups - the Nzemas and Agni - who are based around the Elubo area.

Chronicle learnt that since the days of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, all the political appointees have been coming from the Nzema ethnic group.

The Agni people, therefore, struck a gentleman agreement with the Nzemas to share the political posts this year.

Under the unwritten agreement, the post of presiding member was to go to the Nzemas while the Agni people take the DCE.

After the election of Mr. Jabialu, an Nzema as the PM, the Jomoro assembly on two occasions voted against Mr. Nwanwah, who holds a masters degree in architecture and an Agni as the District Chief Executive (DCE).

Unconfirmed reports have it that all the government appointees to the assembly who were hand-picked by Mr. S.A. Blay mainly from the Nzema ethnic group voted against the President's nominee.

The same assembly did not hesitate to vote for Mr. Ketiboah Blay, an Nzema when he was brought in to replace Nwanwah who had earlier been rejected.

Chronicle further investigations revealed that based on this development, the Agni people decided that the chairmanship of the party in the district should go to the Agni man - because the Nzemas already have the MP coming from their side, the DCE and the presiding member.

Mr. Francis Nyamea, an Agni subsequently filed his papers to contest the chairmanship but he was strongly challenged by the then incumbent chairman, Mr. S.A. Blay.

When the congress came on somewhere in July, confusion broke out which resulted in hits abrupt end.

At the said congress, Blay allegedly presented some names, which the congress considered fictitious.

The ensuring confusion compelled the regional executives to sack Blay and his constituency executives and put in place an interim executives headed by Peter Nwanwah, the defeated DCE on September 25 to hold the congress to elect the officers but Francis Nyamea who was the main contender for the chairmanship died a few days to the congress. He is yet to be buried.

Mr. John Benyauda Aleshea, a nephew to the late Nyamea came in at the last hour to contest the post which was once again disrupted when the faction apparently realised that he was going to win.

Mr. Francis Quansah, the regional secretary of the party has, meanwhile, commended Mr. Francis Ndede Siah, who was also going to contest the chairmanship for the maturity he showed during the ensuing confusion caused by a faction of the supporters.

He told Chronicle that but for Ndede a different story would have been told that day.