Bagbin invades NDC Chairman's house

Wa, Aug. 31, GNA - Mr Ishak Dapilah, Former Nadowli West Constituency Chairman of National Democratic Congress (NDC), has accused Mr Alban S.K. Bagbin, Minority Leader, of invading his house with "Macho men".

He said Mr Bagbin invaded his house to seize NDC property in his possession, adding, "I do not understand why he did not inform me of his coming. Coming with two 'Macho men' and two Regional Party Executive Members was an invasion on my privacy," Mr Dapilah went to the Ghana News Agency Office in Wa to complain.


The former NDC Constituency Chairman said during Election 2000, his personal vehicle, which Mr Bagbin assigned for campaigns in the constituency got involved in an accident.


He said later on Mr Bagbin brought another vehicle as a replacement of his damaged vehicle. He said he had to pay for the tyres that the Minority Leader bought for the replacement vehicle on credit for a long time.


Mr Dapilah claimed that later on the NDC National Headquarters sent about 20 million cedis for the repairs, which the Minority Leader allegedly used for part-payment of the replacement vehicle.


The Former Chairman said his ambition to become the parliamentary candidate for the constituency was thwarted several times by Mr Bagbin and the Party hierarchy, which compelled him to submit his resignation letter as the Chairman of the constituency in May this year.


"I believe because I have resigned and now preparing to stand as an independent candidate that they are following me for Party vehicles and I wonder if they would have followed me if I was still with them." He contended that with democracy and all its freedoms, the Minority Leader and the Party Executives should have given him a notice to either meet them in the Party Office or a neutral ground and not his house.

Mr Dapilah said he would never release the replacement vehicle to the Party until money was given to him to repair his vehicle. "Bagbin made me to understand that the vehicle was a replacement of my damaged vehicle and that is why I went and re-painted it in the colours of my choice."


He said because Bagbin sensed that he was going to lose the seat he had started using all kinds of strategies including intimidation to win the seat.


Naa Seidu Braimah, Regional Vice-Chairman of NDC, who said he was speaking on behalf of Mr Bagbin, explained that he accompanied the Minority Leader to Mr Dapilah's house but did not go there with Macho men.


He said the two young men that Mr Dapilah described as Macho men were Mr Bagbin's bodyguard and his driver and asked why they would send "Macho men" to Mr Dapilah, who was not only a former Party Chairman, but also a brother.


Naa Braimah said their visit to Mr Dapilah's house was to retrieve all Party vehicles that had been in his possession since 1992. He said Mr Dapilah's claim that the vehicle was a replacement of his damaged vehicle was unacceptable as there was no written document to serve as evidence to his claims.


"During the 2000 general election people had accidents and some even lost their lives and did they ask for compensation as Mr Dapilah is claiming? He asked.

He asked Mr Dapilah to consider his deeds as sacrificial to Party activities and it was not possible to reclaim all inputs in any association or group work.


Naa Braimah said the Party hierarchy would use all the necessary channels possible to retrieve all the Party's property in his possession.


He further called on him to declare his stand in the NDC, as the Party would not allow any of their members to contest as independent candidate against their parliamentary candidates in the elections. "In so far as I am aware, Mr Dapilah is still an NDC member and until he registers as an independent candidate, we still see him as an NDC members."


The Regional Vice-Chairman of NDC said Mr Dapilah resigned as the Constituency Chairman and not as an NDC member.


The GNA could not get in touch with Mr Bagbin, who is currently attending the Commonwealth Parliamentarians Conference in Canada. Mr Dapilah has been the Constituency Chairman of Nadowli West (formerly Nadowli North) since 1992, but in May this year resigned to stand as an independent candidate. 31 Aug. 04