NDC Activists Attack MCE

Asiedu Nketiah, NDC General Secretary SOME IRATE youth believed to be members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Yendi municipality have besieged the offices of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Hudu Mohammed Welvis, and vented their spleen and frustrations on him. The group also subjected him to a series of brutalities which compelled him to take cover in the full glare of his subordinate staff. Doors and louver blades of the assembly offices were reportedly broken, following stone-throwing from the charged youth who were determined to smoke him out of his hideout at the time. But for the timely intervention of security details in the municipality, the situation would have turned bloody. Sources told DAILY GUIDE that the MCE incurred the wrath of the youth following an appointment he made for the post of the Coordinator for the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP). It was gathered that Mr. Mohammed unilaterally appointed one Ahmed Choo for the post despite the fact that majority of the youth disliked him and they having their choice for that position. The person in question was said to be onetime Chairman of Baba Tanzania fun club, an offshoot of the campaign team for the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area during the December 2008 elections. It was also uncovered that Mr. Ahmed, an HND Accountancy holder, was offered the job in recognition of his contributions to the MP’s victory over the NPP, but the youth claimed the decision was against the directive from the Presidency to appoint all NDC constituency youth organizers as coordinators for the NYEP. According to the youth, the MCE needed to hold some consultation with their leadership before arriving at that decision and threatened to resist any attempt to impose Mr. Ahmed on them as their coordinator. The youth, reports say, had as a result registered their dislike for the administration of the MCE and were calling on the President to reconsider his appointment in the area for the sake of peace. They also threatened to go on rampage if the said appointment was not immediately revoked and were said to have petitioned the Kampakuya Naa who is the regent of Dagbon over the matter. Cracks in the NDC in the municipality manifested soon after the takeover by the Mills Administration over appointments into various departments. The scramble for positions generated animosity and factionalism among the party’s membership in the area that had for the past years failed to annex a seat until 2008 when similar incidents were committed by the NPP. Many political observers say the current turmoil ongoing in Yendi is sliming the NDC’s chances of retaining the seat come 2012, as members of the opposition NPP are believed to have learnt their lessons. All attempts to talk to the MCE on the matter proved futile as he would not pick calls from this reporter. As at press time, he was yet to respond to two text messages sent to his cell phone. The MP for the area did not answer his phone calls either. From Stephen Zoure, Yendi