Abodakpi's Men On Rampage

A MINI Rally of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Dzelukope in the Keta constituency was nearly marred when party supporters went on the rampage, heckled and assaulted a man suspected to be a New Patriotic Party (NPP) activist.

Mr. Daniel Abodakpi, the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, who spotted the victim, Emmanuel Ashiagbor close to the platform taking notes of what the MP was saying, ordered that he be dragged from the scene.

"The gentleman who has been writing vicious lies, scurrilous and unprintable words about us and the Keta District Chief Executive, Mr. Emmanuel Vorke, which caused the DCE to resign, is here to go and say different things about us; drag him out of the place or else, something will happen," he charged his supporters.

He continued with a shout of "tsooboi" and the supporters descended on Mr. Ashiagbor, giving him a thorough beating.

The victim who allegedly has been writing negative things against the former DCE and some members in the Anlo Traditional Council, including Torgbui Awusi Agbesi II, the Awadada of Anlo, took to his heels to seek refuge but his assailants pelted him with stones.

The police on duty could not avert the situation but Ashiagbor managed to escape. All efforts by The Chronicle to locate him availed naught.

"We know that the man has been writing bad things about the DCE and the NDC but the Hon. should not have ordered that he should be dragged out of the scene," one party supporter told The Chronicle.

He said "Ashiagbor too did not behave well. You are not a journalist nor a member of the NDC. Why did you go so close to the MP to take notes?" he asked.

The MP's programme, which was slated for last week to be addressed by the founder of the NDC, Mr. Jerry John Rawlings was called off to avoid a possible clash with President Kufuor's rumoured visit to Keta during his recent tour of parts of the Volta Region.

Mr. Abodakpi, former Minster of Trade and Industry, who is currently standing trial at the Fast Track High Court in Accra for alleged corruption, bemoaned the level of poverty and hardship that the NPP had brought to the nation.

According to him, the only saviour for the nation was the NDC and called on all and sundry to give the NPP the sack during the December polls.

The NDC MP said the Keta Sea Defence Project, which was started during the NDC administration, was not executed according to the contract agreement documented by the NDC and promised that when his party returned to power, "the work will be adequately executed."

Other issues Mr. Abodakpi spoke about were high cost of school fees, fuel price hikes, victimization of political opponents, among others.