Wa, May 14, GNA - A splinter group of the National Democratic Congress in Wa on Thursday condemned the conduct and attitude of the Regional Executives of the Party before, during and after the removal of Mr Mahmud Khalid, former Upper West Regional Minister from office. The group accused the Regional Executives of not following democratic principles and practices and said by that action the fortunes of the party in the Region would be affected in the 2012 polls. A statement at a press conference read by Mr Saandong Mwiniban-era, Former Nadowli West Constituency Deputy Secretary of the NDC, said people must not confuse issues of the Region with issues of the Wa Central Constituency.

The statement pointed out that Wa Central Constituency alone could not be allowed to hold the entire Region to ransom because it was just one of the 10 constituencies in the Region. It said that it was wrong for a section of the regional executives who are Walas to always decide who becomes a minister in the Region at any point in time.

The statement warned that any move by President John Atta Mills to elevate Mr Caesar Kale, Deputy Upper West Regional Minister as a substantive Upper West Regional Minister would spell the doom of the NDC, as well as destabilise the prevailing peace in the area. Mr Kale was accused of abusing the trust and confidence Mr Khalid reposed in him when he was charged with a duty to mobilise delegates to elect officers to run the affairs of the party in the Region.

The statement said Mr Kale took advantage of the elections to mobilise only people who would support his plan to become the Regional Minister and got them elected as Regional and Constituency Executives of the party. The statement reminded President Mills of the warning that he gave during the swearing-in of Deputy Ministers that any deputy who undermined his or her Regional Minister would be sacked alongside the Minister. The group said it had come to their notice that Mr Kale was lobbying some key NDC power brokers in Accra to be appointed as substantive Upper West Regional Minister.

The statement urged President Mills not to give him a hearing or appoint him as a substantive Regional Minister for the sake of peace and development, as well as the continuous growth of the NDC in the region. When contacted on phone, Mr Kale said he was accused wrongly and that he had never undermined the authority of Mr Khalid as a boss. He said he was also out of Wa when the disturbances happened and that nobody should associate him with those events. Mr Kale, however, said that he was not surprised about the allegations labelled against him because all those who were agitating for his dismissal from office were younger brothers and in-laws of Mr Khalid and appealed to them to give him a break. 14 May 10