Sunyani (Brong Ahafo Region) -- Power struggle and factionalism within the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is assuming an alarming proportion. This canker has led to some leading members of the party fighting among themselves.

After recent quarrels among some leaders of the party in the region, the Brong Ahafo chairman of the NPP, Kwadwo Yeboah Fordjour, and the former regional secretary, Yaw Owusu Addae, nearly engaged themselves in an open fight at the regional office of the party at Sunyani on Wednesday 30 October this year.

People were standing looking at the two leading members exchanging words. At a point, they nearly clinched each other but sympathisers around intervened, restraining them from fighting. Fordjour was whisked to his hardware shop, near the NPP office to cool down tempers, but he managed to come back to confront the former secretary who has his shop in the same building as the NPP regional office.

The two members were at each other’s throat over the rehabilitation of the party’s regional office. Narrating circumstances leading to their quarrel, the regional chairman explained that he engaged the services of some masons to lay floor tiles in the regional office of the party, with the consent of the regional minister and the party executives.

According to Fordjour, in his absence, the former secretary approached the masons wanting to know the prices of the tiles and their quality. He said the masons were not able to give an exact price of the tiles, but only told Addae that the tiles were of good quality and could cost ?170,000 per box.

On arrival of the chairman, the masons informed him about the inquiry of the former secretary about the issue. Fordjour revealed that when he asked the former secretary why he was asking for the prices and the quality of the tiles, he (former secretary) immediately ordered him to walk out of his shop.

When Chronicle contacted Addae, he confirmed the story, but stated that the approach of the chairman was bad, because the chairman was already angry when he entered the shop. The former secretary questioned why the chairman should wait till the last hour, when the party wanted to elect its regional executive, before rehabilitating the office.

Chronicle learnt that Addae is contesting for the position of the secretary; he belongs to Nana Obiri Boahen’s camp, an arch rival of Fordjour, both contestants for the position of chairman.