Bantama NPP accuses chair of being an NDC mole

Some New Patriotic Party (NPP) sympathizers in the Bantama Constituency in Kumasi, have called for the immediate dismissal of Mr Henry K. Kokofu, NPP chairman of Bantama Constituency. The party faithful, including polling station executives and foot soldiers, alleged that Mr Kokofu was not a member of the NPP but a spy for the National Democratic Congress (NDC). According to them, during last year's presidential run¬off, Mr Kotoku voted for the NDC, but when he realised that he had been seen by one of the NPP sympathisers who stood behind him, he told the electoral officer in charge that he had mistakenly thumb-printed for the NDC and that he needed a new ballot paper. The spokesperson of the group, Mr Kofi Takyi, told newsmen that "he is a spy on the NPP and we don't need him". At about 7 a.m., the sympathisers, holding placards with inscriptions such as 'Kokofu is a spy for NDC', 'Kokofu must go', 'We want NPP to progress', marched to the house of Mr Yaw Amankwaah, Ashanti Regional Chair¬man for NPP, and petitioned the national executives to dismiss Mr Kokofu. Dated September 16, the petition also alleged that the Bantama Constituency chairman had engaged nine young men to print NPP membership forms and cards and were registering people, irrespective of their political affiliations, so they could vote for him in the upcoming polling station elections. The petition claimed that Mr Kokofu had printed more¬ than 20,000 membership forms and cards, contrary to the fact that only the national headquarters of the party had the mandate to do so and emphasised, "this is criminal and diabolical". The petition called on the national party executives to withdraw the fake forms and cards from the system and that "we will resist any attempt to use these fake forms or cards for any polling station and constituency elections". Reacting, Mr Kokofu rubbished the allegations describing them as, “absurd and total madness." He denied ever printing any membership form or cards saying "it is not my responsibility to print party cards or forms so why will I do that?" Mr Kokofu implicated Mr Osei Dankwa, secretary to the Bantama Constituency, saying he was the brain behind the matter. "He wishes to be the party chairman and is threatened by my being around." Meanwhile, a source at the Ashanti Regional Office of the NPP told the Times on Tuesday that the polling executive meeting to elect regional executives of the party, which was to take place on September 25, had been postponed following the petition. The source, however, did not say when the election will come off. Source: The Ghanaian Times