Nduom condemns Mills, Nana Addo controversy at Afahye

The 2008 Convention People’s Party presidential candidate Dr. Paa Kwesi Ndoum has condemned the controversy that surrounded the organization of the Fetu Afahye Festival in the Central Region over the week-end. The New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress have been engaged in accusations and counter accusations days after the festival. Dr. Nduom told Joy News the controversy does not auger well for the country and the traditional institution in particular. “You must not allow a joyous occasion like the Afahye festival, an occasion that is supposed to bring people together [to generate such controversy]. “It is important that we ask the traditional authorities themselves to ensure that they make proper arrangements for everybody, so that there are proper sitting arrangements and proper protocols. “Otherwise, the traditional authorities will also come under the suspicion that they only act under the influence of the government of the day. “This thing keeps repeating itself and everyone must condemn it,” he said. In 2008 there was scuffle between state security and those accompanying then candidate Mills at the Fetu Afahye Festival resulting in some injuries. Source: Joy News/Ghana

NDC Supporters clash over Effiduase DCE

Supporters and opponents of Mr Kwadwo Addai, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region Wednesday morning clashed at the district capital, Effiduase. Police personnel had to fire warning shots to disperse the rioters and maintain security. Nhyira FM’s correspondent, Alexander Afrifa who was reporting on the riots, became a victim, having been assaulted by the supporters. He has since been hospitalized. Some supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) had accused the DCE of sidelining them in the execution of development projects in the area. Although Mr Addai repeatedly denied the allegations, the angry supporters gathered at his office Tuesday and threatened to kick him out. They vowed to defect to another political party if the appointing authority fails to sack the DCE. To calm tensions and find an amicable solution to the impasse, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Kofi Opoku Manu Wednesday went to the district to try and intervene in the matter. But when he entered the Effiduase, the two groups – supporters and adversaries of the DCE – launched an audacious attack on each other. Joy FM Correspondent, Kwabena Ampratwum said the police had to whisk the both the DCE and the Regional Minister out of the area to prevent anything untoward happening to them. The embattled DCE, told Joy News’ Dzifa Bampoh that he had scheduled the meeting with Mr Opoku Manu at a secured location but the Regional Chairman of the NDC who led the Regional Minister’s delegation bypassed that location and drove the convoy into the trouble makers’ zone. He dismissed the calls for his dismissal by his detractors, maintaining that out of the 62 branches of the NDC in the district, “58 branches are solidly behind me.” Story by Malik Abass Daabu/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

Konadu plays Mills' secret 'tape'

Nana Konadu   A National First Vice Chairperson of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, has disclosed, that the 'Better Ghana' agenda concept being used by the Atta Mills government, was developed by her husband, and therefore, remains his legacy. She said former President Jerry John Rawlings had developed the concept (ideology) of a 'Better Ghana' agenda since 1982, and presented a paper to that effect, when he was in government during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) reign. Until the former First lady, who has of late been touring the regions ostensibly to revamp her 31st December Women's Movement, ‘played this secret tape,’ many were Ghanaians who thought the concept was developed by President Mills. Mrs. Rawlings, who was speaking on Kyzz FM, a Takoradi-based radio station on Wednesday, as part of her three-day working visit to the region, however, refused to grade the Mills administration over its performance in government. According to her, she was not ready to state whether the government had performed poorly, fairly, or good in the conduct of its business since it assumed office. Commenting on current developments within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), the former first lady said she was, very concerned about that, but not those that involved the government, because, "It is a party that builds up a government, and not a government building a party." She stated that although she was still politically inclined to the development cause, particularly, about the welfare of women in Ghana and society in general, it was not yet time for her to declare her political ambitions. According to her, whilst she would not hint on the future of her political career now, it would also be untenable to rule out women in Ghana's democratic journey, as she believes democracy was the pillar of governance for society, and not for men alone. She, however, refused to be dragged into the internal politicking in the corridors of the government (power), emphasising, "A 'Better Ghana' agenda should be good for everyone, and not for me and my husband." Explaining the concept behind the programmes of the 31st December Women's Movement, an organisation she used extensively to champion the cause of women in the country for nearly three decades the president of the movement said. "We do not have a single approach to development, so we are using a multi-sectoral approach." The former first lady would be in the Western Region for the next three days as part of a working visit to some districts in the area. She told radio listeners she would visit the Shama District to engage the women visit executives of the movement, and have discussions on the future and progress of women. Source: The Ghanaian Chronicle/Ghana

Konadu boys warn Mills

Nana Konadu         President Atta Mills has been accused of secretly sponsoring persons within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to run down ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and his family. A group, Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, which made the claim, has warned that if the attacks on the Rawlingses continued, it would soon unleash "legitimate violence" to protect the former first family and that no one should be blamed for the consequences and after effects. The warning was contained in a news statement issued last night by the pro-Rawlings group, in a swift response to comments from Alhaji Bature, another NDC activist, that Rawlings had been defeated and silenced. "We want to state categorically that President Mills and his close associates are behind this agenda to ridicule and discredit Mr. Rawlings .... We find Bature's belligerence and his utterances on our party founder to be very reckless and we are convinced that such unprovoked attack on the former president could only be part of that grand scheme orchestrated by President Mills to once again ridicule the former president," FONKAR noted in the statement jointly signed by Dela Coffie and Ransford Vani-Amoah, the group's Communications Director and Founder respectively. Alhaji Bature, in an interview with Adom FM Wednesday, noted among other things that "we have defeated him (Rawlings) and we will take him on anytime he speaks." But FONKAR has taken a very strong exception to the comments and described it as another threat against the former first family. "It was this same Bature who warned Mr. Rawlings of serious consequences if he does not stop criticizing President Mills and before we could say Jack, fire gutted the residence of the former president on that fateful day of February 14th 2010. "We have therefore taken Bature's folly as another threat on the Rawlingses and we will employ and deploy all legitimate violence to protect the former first family .... Why is it acceptable for some Mills-loyalists to treat Jerry Rawlings as a fugitive in his own party? "We have been fooled to believe in a heaven on earth by promises of a better Ghana, meanwhile social misery undeniably remains the same if not worse; yet government is obsessed with the Rawlingses and bent on tearing them apart,” FONKAR noted in the statement. The group noted that “even after several months of silence, Mr. Rawlings is being drawn into an unprovoked attack by the likes of Bature who have completely lost it. Bature is just one of the many wretched comedians among a bunch of noisy ducklings who have lost touch with reality and would sell their integrity to pretence in order to protect the status quo. "No sane person who is clear in his or her mind will say that you have defeated Rawlings when indeed there was no battle, Bature's comments have portrayed him as a loose talker who does not exercise discretion in the public domain," it added. FONKAR topped news charts when the group recently declared their support for former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings as the 2012 presidential candidate for the NDC. Source: Daily Guide/Ghana

Kwabena Adjei hauled to CID headquarters

By Samuel Osei/Citifmonline.com | Thu 09th September, 2010 18:52 GMT

The Ghana Police Service has invited NDC Chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei to the CID headquarters for questioning.
This follows a complaint lodged at the Nima Divisional Police headquarters on Thursday September 9, by the pressure Group Alliance for Accountable Governance, (AFAG ).
The Group says Dr. Kwabena Adjei's comment that the NDC will clean the judiciary of rot if the Chief Justice fails to do so, is treasonable and subversive.
Confirming Dr. Kwabena Adjei's invitation to Citi FM, the Director of Public Affairs at the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Kwesi Ofori said the most senior official of the Criminal Investigations Department in the person of the Director-General, was tasked to invite Dr. Kwabena Adjei for questioning.
Superintendent Kwesi Ofori said Dr. Kwabena Adjei when reached on his phone, pledged to honor the invitation when he returns from his hometown in the Volta Region.
It is however not clear how soon he will turn up. Superintendent Ofori could not tell immediately what possible charges could be brought against Dr. Kwabena Adjei.
AFAG says it decided to take this action because the police claimed they were unable to arrest Dr. Kwabena Adjei because no formal complaint had been lodged.

AFAG seeks NDC Chairman's prosecution

The Alliance for Accountable Governance (AFAG) has formally lodged a complaint with the police asking for the arrest and prosecution of the Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Dr. Kwabena Adjei . The group is accusing Dr. Adjei of making subversive comments against the Judiciary when he called on the Chief Justice to purge the Judiciary of corruption and biases or the party shall purge it for her. His comments drew lots of criticisms from the general public, the Bench and the Clergy, while many others, including the minority in Parliament, also called for his arrest and prosecution. On Thursday, leading members of AFAG, a pressure group aligned to the opposition New Patriotic Party, filed a complaint at the Nima Police Station in Accra. Martin Adjei Mensah, a leading member of AFAG told Joy News' Justice Baidoo that their action is “to ensure that Dr. Kwabena Adjei is brought to book.” “We find his comments subversive and we think it largely infringes on several aspects of our laws. “We expect the police to arrest, investigate and possibly prosecute him." It is not yet clear if the police will act on the matter. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

55 NDC footsoldiers defect to NPP

The National Democratic Congress and the New Patriotic Party (NPP)   Some youth who identified themselves as foot-soldiers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Nabdam Constituency in the Upper East region, have defected to the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The youth, numbering 55, were received into the party by the chairman of the constituency council of elders, Thomas Kparibo, at a Short ceremony at Nangodi in the Talensi-Nabdam district. The leader of the group, Solomon Ditamina, told DAILY GUIDE .that their action is a response to the continuous dishonesty of the party elders in the constituency over the years, as well as the Member'of Parliament (MP) for the area, Moses Asaga, who they claim to have worked hard to maintain in Parliament all this years. They accused the MP of abandoning them and staying in Accra and Bol-gatanga at his spare, time, only to return to the constituency when election was approaching to deceive and lure them to campaign and vote for him. "Master, we have been doing most of the dirty work for the party in this constituency, and yet after the election no one has time for us and does not even fulfill their promises of getting us jobs. The MP knows the work we do for him, and yet does not care about our welfare. Most of us are not working and life is very difficult for us and our families, who we always convince to vote for Moses Asaga and the NDC presidential candidate during elections," Solomon stressed. According to him, most communities in the constituency are not connected to the national grid, except a few-houses along the main road which were connected to the national grid in 1998 but during the general elections, the people were deceived that they would be connected to the national grid if the MP was maintained in Parliament. "Most of us have been following the development in the New Patriotic Party, and have come to the realization that Nana Akufo Addo is an action man and will fulfil his promises. Even if we don't benefit personally and our communities do, we will be happy. We are aware that other MPs are helping their constituencies with facilities, including teachers' accommodation and social centers, which our MP has provided none, all this while he has been representing us in Parliament." The chairman of the council of elders assured the NDC foot-soldiers that they have been accepted and would be treated with the same respect that is accorded old members of the party. He urged them to work hard to ensure that the NPP wins the Parliamentary seat as well as the presidential election come 2012. Source: Daily Guide

NPP Wins Atiwa By-Election By 75%...But Drops 6,000 Votes

Kwasi Amoako-Attah     Related Stories   After weeks of intense politicking, hours of voting amidst accusations and counter-accusations of voter intimidation and violence, the New Patriotic Party’s Kwasi Amoako-Attah was declared MP-elect for the Atiwa Constituency of the Eastern Region when he polled 20,282 or 75% of valid votes at Tuesday's by-election. The ruling National Democratic Congress’ Emmanuel Atta Twum obtained 6,190 or 22.89% of the votes to place second, followed in third position by the New Vision Party’s George Apraku Padmore with 477 or 1.76% votes while the People’s National Convention’s Kasum Abdul-Karim came at the tail of the pack with 94 or 0.35% of votes. PeaceFM's Senior Reporters Yaw Obeng-Manu and Obeng Darko, and HelloFM'S Sampson Nyamekye who covered the by-elections say turn-out was rather on the low side. Voter turnout at the end of the day was 53.3%. The area has registered voters of 61,667 and 113 polling stations. Statistics indicates that total votes cast were 27,043 in the by-election. As many as 497 votes were rejected. According to our Correspondents, the by-election turned bloody somewhere around 4pm when a speeding Toyota Prado vehicle said to be occupied by a top politician allegedly smashed through a temporary wooden barricade injuring four persons in the process. Three of the activists are said to be in life threatening conditions. The NPP won the parliamentary seat in 2008 by 26,423 votes or 76.43% of valid votes, followed by the NDC with 7,851 or 22.71% while the PNC’s Abdul-Karim followed with 296 votes or 0.86%. Only three candidates contested at the time.       Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Man Grabbed with guns

Illegal arms     Daily Guide has gathered that one Alhaji Alidu Haruna was arrested yesterday by security personnel for allegedly possessing illegal arms at the barrier on the Anyinam-Kwabeng main road at about 10:00am. Haruna, who was said to be working at the Office of the President under the Deputy Chief of Staff, was driving a Nissan pickup vehicle with registration number ER 166 09 when he was grabbed. Security personnel discovered that the suspect had concealed a number of guns in his vehicle after a thorough search. The security personnel at the barrier hauled him with the guns to the Kwabeng District Police Headquarters at Anyinam; but he was soon released, and he ran away without a trace. Giving an account of the incident, New Patriotic Party (NPP) General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afrivie told DAILY GUIDE, "I went to the barrier upon hearing the report and the police confirmed to me that indeed they had grabbed Alidu with the guns-concealed in a car. "Alidu is a staunch National Democratic Congress (NDC) member who normally parades himself as a National Security operative." He said the arrest of Alidu confirmed his earlier suspicions that the NDC had diabolical plans of engaging hoodlums to cause mayhem during the Atiwa bye-election. Mr. Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, who is affectionately called Sir John, said the police told him that Alidu was apprehended with the illegal guns, stressing that he would closely follow the ease. He expressed shock that Alidu could muster the courage to conceal illegal arms in his car to create confusion in the Atiwa constituency, urging the police to lei the law deal with him. In another development, police personnel averted bloodshed at the Roman Catholic Primary School at Kwabeng-in the Atiwa Constituency yesterday. Two unidentified men were saved by the police from being lynched by irate mob of the area over suspicion of trying rig the bye-election. According to eyewitnesses, the two men, who are not residents of the area, stormed the polling station on a motor-bike at about 11:00am. They noted that the men parked their motorbike and residents spotted them loitering around the polling station for close to 30 minutes, intermittently talking to some people on their mobile phones. The strange behaviour of the two men made the residents suspect that they were at the polling station to rig the elections, so they approached them. But the suspects took to their heels when quizzed by the Kwabeng residents, forcing the irate residents to give them a hot chase. They were eventually grabbed by the mob who instantly tried to lynch them; but the police officers came to their rescue. When the police interrogated, them, the two men claimed that they were agents of the NDC, stating that they were from Larteh and camped at a hotel in Akropong Akuapim. But when they were asked to produce their identity cards, the two, who were seen shivering, could not produce them. One of them called a certain man on phone and asked him to inform Baba Jamal, the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister that they had been arrested by the police so they should intervene. As at the time of filing the report, the two had been detained by the police, who were preparing to send them to the police station for further questioning. The irate residents also seized their motorbike. Source: Daily Guide