Poor District Assemblies Pay For Ohene Agyekum Send Off Party

Daniel Ohene Agyekum INFORMATION REACHING DAILY GUIDE indicates that the cost of the send-off party for Daniel Ohene Agyekum, Ashanti Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Country’s ambassador designate to the United States of America, was borne by the 29 district assemblies in the region. Deep-throat sources revealed to DAILY GUIDE that the Ashanti regional secretariat of the party, which organized the party, ordered each of the 29 assemblies to pay GH¢250 from their coffers towards the send-off party. DAILY GUIDE gathered that the order for the payment of the amount was relayed simultaneously to the 29 District Chief Executives (DCEs) through their respective information rooms by the regional secretariat, four days ahead of the party. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that the DCEs were ordered to pay the full amount in cash to the regional secretariat at their office at Asafo, a suburb of Kumasi, within two days of receiving the information. For fear of incurring the wrath of the regional secretariat, DAILY GUIDE gathered that all 29 DCEs, in spite of persistent claims that they are unable to perform to the satisfaction of their people due to alleged huge debts they inherited from their predecessors, paid the amount in full as directed. An attempt to contact Alhaji Saanie on the matter proved unsuccessful as he would not speak to the paper under the pretext that he was having a meeting. The lavish party, which was held at the plush New Orleans Hotel located at Danyame, near the private residence of Mr. Ohene Agyekum, was hugely attended by all the 39 constituency chairmen in the region. Also in attendance were the 29 DCEs and their coordinating directors, party faithfuls, family and relations, admirers and friends of Mr. Ohene-Agyekum, who were treated to a night of sumptuous meals and assorted drinks. Speaking at the party, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Kofi Opoku-Manu, commended Mr. Ohene Agyekum for the able manner with which he championed the cause of the party in the region which had contributed immensely to the party winning back political power in the 2008 elections. He noted that there was no denying the fact that Mr. Ohene Agyekum deserved the appointment conferred on him by President Atta Mills as the country’s ambassador to the United States of America. The DCE for Sekyere Central, Ebenezer Akuoko-Frimpong, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, praised the leadership style of the outgoing regional party chief and hoped that the party would get an excellent replacement for him. For his part, Mr. Ohene-Agyekum, thanked the party for the honour and wished that the NDC will get somebody of his caliber to push the agenda of the party forward in his absence. Alhaji Sannie, the Regional 1st Vice Chairman, Samuel Sarpong, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) Chief Executive, among other top guns of the NDC, spoke at the party, which nearly turned into a campaign platform. Mr. Ohene-Agyekum, it would be recalled, gained an unsavory public reputation on the eve of the 2008 electioneering campaign when he infamously invoked the spirit of the dreaded ‘Antoa Nyamaa’ river goddess to kill some New Patriotic Party (NPP) supporters at the Subin constituency and some DAILY GUIDE staff in Kumasi. Sources said the country’s former High Commissioner to Canada during the regime of ex-President Rawlings is expected to leave for the USA latest by Monday September 21 to begin his ambassadorial duties. From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi