The political atmosphere in the Tema East branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is now boiling and threatens to throw the organization of the party in the constituency into even deeper disarray.

A few weeks ago, the constituency chairman and secretary of the party, Ken Obeng Ofosu and Charles Ogyeaborh Boateng respectively, who comprise one of the feuding factions, accused the Member of Parliament (MP) of the area, Ishmael Ashitey, the other faction, of inciting the polling station chairmen to pass a vote of no confidence in them and remove them from office.

The MP responded in a statement captured in the Monday, July 24, 2006 edition of The Lens newspaper and also on some radio stations that the two executive members tried to kill him but he had managed to escape. Now the two executive members have expressed shock over why the MP has, until now, refused to report an attempt on his life to the police to get the culprits or suspects arrested if what he is saying is true.

They have therefore dared him to report the case to the police if he has evidence to prove they actually sent thugs to kill him. They did not understand why a whole MP, who knows his left from right, would sit unconcerned when people he knows make an attempt on his life, and not inform the police for some action to be taken to protect him.

In a press statement released in Tema on Tuesday and signed by the secretary, Charles Boateng, the two referred to the publication as false and unfounded, calculated to soil their hard won image. “If the MP has the slightest evidence to the allegations on the front page of The Lens newspaper and as broadcasted, we entreat him to report the matter to the law enforcement agency,” the release challenged.

Continuing, the release averred, “We deem the publication as a desperate and frustrated statement, which must be treated with all the contempt it deserves,” and added, “the MP is behaving like a frustrated person who is drowning and frantic to hold onto any straw that comes his way”. The publication went on to state that as a result of the conduct of the two executive members, about 69 polling station chairmen and the MP have signed a document and has suspended them from the party. The release also denied the allegation, saying, “The status quo concerning the executive mandate of the Tema East branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is still in force”.

A letter chanced upon by The Chronicle addressed to the constituency chairman of the party and signed by the Greater Accra Regional secretary of the NPP, Mr. Ben Brown, was unequivocal on the matter, saying the stance of the party on what is presently going on in the constituency is “entrenched in Article 9 of our constitution prior to enforcement of Article 10.

“Consequently, upon the foregoing, we would advice that grievance procedures be strictly adhered to, meanwhile the status quo should remain in the Tema East constituency in respect of the executive mandate,” the letter concluded.