Politics of Wednesday, 19 March 2008

Source: Kojo Allotey Jacobs, Cape Coast

NPP Cape Coast Rally Degenerates Into violence

In the early sixties, the forebears of the NPP killed in cold blood a Porridge seller in Kumasi whose crime was her suspected sympathies for the CPP. Last Saturday, history nearly repeated itself, when NPP hoodlums nearly killed a rice seller because of her sympathies for the opposition NDC.

The occasion was the Presidential Rally of the New Patriotic Party and the venue was the Cape Coast Chapel Square.

The 35 year old woman, Ekua Halem a.k.a. NDC Maame Rice, was attacked by the supporters of the ruling NPP who saw Prof Mills posters pasted all over her food joint. The mother of three sells the canned drinks alongside cooked rice in front of the Cape Coast Castle, adjacent the Cape Coast High Court.

Narrating her ordeal to the Lens, Ekua Halem said she was selling cooked rice, banku and roasted fish under her shed when a big bus pulled up and parked in front of her spot. The occupants, whom she later learn were NPP supporters from Koforidua, alighted and came to sit under her shelter to rest for a while ahead of their rally.

NDC Maame Rice said she told them to leave her place if they were not going to buy her food- they duly obliged but later, their leader, a stocky man came back to confront her. At that time some of the NPP supporters came back to buy some food from her.

This stocky guy, started ordering them to leave the place and desist from buying NDC food, Ekua Halem stated.

According to the victim, without any provocation, the NPP man verbally started attacking her and went on to physically push her onto the ground. He then ordered other NPP supporters around to beat her. “I was mercilessly beaten. They even went to the extent of tearing my clothes and left me virtually naked,” she recounts amidst tears.

Incidentally, the candidate of the NPP at that same time at the rally was promising Ghanaians that his NPP wants to bring about a new Ghana based on the respect for human rights and truth.

The hapless mother of three was obviously being given a foretaste of Akufo Addos Respect for human rights”. She was not just beaten, but her food joint was destroyed by the NPP irate gang, who completed the rout by throwing her food and drinks away.

She was left unconscious on the ground; but for the timely intervention of the Cape Coast Metro Chief Executive who came upon the scene, she could easily have been killed by the blood thirsty NPP mob just like NDCs Grukponi was murdered in broad daylight in Kumasi in 1996.

Shame!!!!!!!! Obed & Akufo-Addos Defection Plot Exposed As NDC Group Swerves Their Money Bait

Story: Winson Addotey

Hundreds of youths led by Alhaji Bello of the Ho Central Constituency have dealt a lethal political blow to Obed Yao Asamoah and Nana Akuffo Addo by exposing their joint plot against the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

At a press conference on 14th March, 2008 at Pensioners Hall in Ho, the leader of the group of NDC activists numbering 500, turned the tables against the DFP at a programme planned to announce the defection of the group from the NDC to join the DFP.

In a dramatic turn of events, the group instead used the platform to reaffirm its loyalty to the NDC. The spokesperson, with the knowledge of all members, read out another statement to that effect instead of the DFP prepared speech.

In very short address to the media, Alhaji Bello, the spokesperson for the group, said the DFP had contracted them with money to defect from the NDC.

He explained that the aim was to use the announcement coming just days after Prof Mills visit to the region, to create the impression that the NDC was fast losing popularity in the Volta region, starting from Ho Central.

We hereby say a big no to this vile propaganda and therefore wish to re-assure the rank and file of the NDC, that we shall forever remain committed to the cause of the NDC party and that OUR LOYALTY IS NOT FOR SALE,” he declared triumphantly.

He stated that the DFP must be exposed because the party are just agents of the NPP working against the progress of democracy in the nation.

The whole operation came as a shock to the officials of the DFP who had come expecting to deal a major psychological blow to the NDC. They could be seen, completely bewildered and staring dumbly into space.

Bello, who incidentally was the Campaign Manager of Hon. Captain Nfordjor, Member of Parliament for Ho Central in the 2004 general elections, answered a barrage of questions from a multitude of the journalists.

He contended that Akufo Addo and the NPP are using Obed and his party to attempt to destroy the NDC.

Flanked by Delali Agbo, Alhaji Bello brought the programme to a swift end. This was after the DFP officials went asking the Police and the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) to arrest Bello for overturning the event.

To forestall any mishap, the police swiftly whisked Alhaji Bello from the scene to ensure his safety.

In an interview with the Lens, the Ho Regional Police Commander, DCOP Bernard Derry, intimated that he ordered the immediate release of Bello. He stated that Bello actions did not amount to any crime.

“If the DFP officials had not known him, they would not have allowed him to read the speech. They ought to be responsible for their own actions, he maintained.

Among the DFP officials present at the event were Volta Regional Secretary, Manfred Nuku Dei, Regional organizer, Michael Gamor and Ho Central Constituency Chairman.