…Palace coupe against constituency chairman backfires

Story: Charlotte Boateng, Sunyani

AN ATTEMPT by the Sunyani Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Kwasi Oppong Ababio and some executives of the ruling NDC to clandestinely oust the Sunyani East Constituency Chairman of the party from office has backfired.

Mr. Kwasi Oppong Ababio was exposed, when he attempted to counter an allegation by one Kwame DC, a zonal chairman for Adjeimu zone of the NDC, that the MCE and some regional executives including the Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo has created a sharp division in the party in their attempt to impeach the Sunyani East Constituency Chairman, Ebo Barkers resulting in the constituency having two offices at different locations being manned by different executives.

Currently the Sunyani East Constituency of the NDC has two separate secretariats where one group led by the vice-Chairman, Collins Takyi is operating at the office located at Zongo, while the other one located at Newtown is being operated by the leadership of the Constituency Chairman, Ebo Barkers.

The MCE was accused of interfering in the political activities without concentrating on the administration of the Municipality, thereby imposing himself as both the MCE and the Constituency Chairman.

Speaking on a Sunyani based radio station Ark FM on Thursday, September 30 this year; the MCE admitted providing funds for the acquisition of the office at Zongo, because some party executives had approached him after assuming office as the MCE to assist the constituency acquire an office.

He said, “I personally sourced for a loan to make part payment of the office located at Zongo, but I was not there during the opening ceremony as alleged by Kwabena DC ”.

Mr. Oppong Ababio was alleged to have said when a group of 35 branch chairmen from the Sunyani East constituency held a meeting with him as to why he (MCE) failed to attend the opening ceremony of the office located at Newtown .

The MCE was alleged to have said at the meeting that since the Newtown office was being sponsored by the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, there was no way he could be at the occasion because it was Prof. Mills who has appointed him and not Mrs. Rawlings.

According to the MCE he said that without malice except that he did not want to incur the wrath of the President by associating himself with anything which had direct links with Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who was said to have harboured intentions to contest for the Presidency.

“Yes I explained to them to protect my job, but that does not mean I disowned the Rawlingses, I am still a product of Mr. Rawlings, but as a servant of Prof. Mills I did not want to go contrary to his orders”, he stressed.

He again denied imposing himself as the Constituency chairman, saying “I am rather helping to solve the wrangling that has bedeviled the party at the constituency, but people have misinterpreted my action”.

However, when contacted the Sunyani East Constituency Chairman, Ebo Barkers confirmed that the MCE was interfering with the activities of the party at the constituency, instead of concentrating on the administration of the Municipality.

He said he has been able to escape a ‘palace Coupe’ plot by some executives during his campaign to become the chairman and after the elections, but despite all the diabolic efforts of such perpetrators he has maintain his focus through the support of 87% of the branch chairmen.

Mr. Ebo Barkers indicated that the MCE by his words and action has flouted Section (6) of the NDC constitution by openly stating that he would not associate himself with the Rawlings because it was Prof. Mills who has appointed him and must work for him as such.

“Yes the MCE said that, I was part of the delegation who visited him and I was sad to hear such words coming from the MCE”, Mr. Barkers stressed.

According to Mr. Barkers it is surprising for people to associate the Newtown office to the Rawlingses defending that “it is untrue that the office was acquired by the Rawlingses so people should desist from those lies and work towards how to forestall peace and unity in the party”.