Big fight in NDC over MMT post

There is simmering tension and uneasy calm within the ranks of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the decision by the Minister of Transport, Mrs. Dzifa Attivor, to sack the Managing Director of Metro Mass Transit (MMT), Mr. Maxwell Awuku.

Information available to Today indicates that there was a serious misunderstanding within top members of the NDC which situation led to Mrs. Attivor to ask Mr. Awuku to hand over his duties to a new person, signaling a possible showdown.

A source at the NDC headquarters hinted the paper that the hurried nature with which Mrs. Attivor asked Mr. Awuku to proceed on leave and handover to the outgoing Chief Executive of National Road Safety Commission (NRSC,) John Noble Appiah, was solely for the purpose of preventing some big-wigs in the party who had been nurturing ambitions of becoming Managing Director of MMT.

Transport Minister Attivor recently wrote a letter to the MMT boss, asking him to step down after some alleged misappropriation of funds in the company.

That decision by the minister was described by some NDC members as a lack of respect for Mr. Awuku.

The MMT MD and his deputy have been asked to report to the ministry for reassignment.

But in a quick response, Mr. Awuku told journalists that Mrs. Attivor had no mandate to give such a directive.

According to him, it was the Board of Directors of MMT that appointed him and that it was only the board that had the authority to remove him from office.

He stressed that he still remains the MD who reports to the board, adding that until the board decides his fate no one can do so.

MMT has been notoriously known in the news recently over transfer blues and alleged embezzlement of some GH¢2.5 million of the company’s funds by five employees, allegations Mr. Awuku denied outright.

According to him, all the individuals involved in the alleged embezzlement have been dismissed and all their entitlement denied them.

Mr. Awuku indicated that the allegation that some individuals within the company have embezzled GH¢2.5 million was a calculated attempt to injure his reputation and that of his deputy, Martin Afram.

The MMT boss indicated that since he took over as the MD of MMT in 2010, the “sinking” company has been transformed into an international transport award winning MMT.