Blame Bugri Naabu for Karaga mess – YEA Coordinator

The embattled Coordinator of the Youth Employment Agency (YEA) in the Karaga District of the Northern region, Mohammed Baba Ousman, says he will look no further in blaming anybody for the troubles he is going through than the Northern Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu.

Naabu, he said, has been his enemy after he took a unilateral decision to reinstate the Karaga Constituency Chairman of the NPP, Tahiru Zakaria, some two months ago.

Zakaria was suspended prior to the 2016 general elections for working against the interest of the party.

On Wednesday, October 25, 2017, Baba Ousman and the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Alhassan Yabdow, were chased out from their offices by some angry NPP youth who are believed to be very loyal to the constituency chairman, Tahiru Zakaria.

A motorbike belonging to the YEA Coordinator was confiscated by the irate youth and burnt it.

The offices of the two personalities were also locked up.

The violence, Kasapafmonline.com understands, started Monday, October 23, 2017, when the irate youth attacked Baba Ousman who is also the Youth Organizer of the NPP for the area, over the appointment some youth into the Community Police Service.

The party constituency executives have stayed sharply divided and tension has escalated since the DCE for the area took office.

The DCE, the Organizer and the Youth Organizer have been accused by the constituency chairman and the other executives of hijacking the party in the area and taking decisions without deliberations and consultation.

Early last month, supporters of the chairman invaded the district assembly office and shut it down following allegations that the DCE is engaged in divide and rule.

On the latest violence, the Constituency Secretary, Abdulai Ziblim told Kasapa News that it was triggered by the decision of Baba Ousman to handpick some youth into the Community Police module under the agency without consulting the constituency chairman.

He said the youth organizer refused to honour an invitation by the chairman to brief him on how those youth were selected.

According to him, the chairman demanded answers because many party youth were not part of the list.

He said violence between supporters of the chairman and the Youth Organizer ensued in the afternoon when the chairman went to confront the organizer for turning down his invitation.

But interacting with Akwasi Nsiah on Si Me So on Kasapa 102.5 FM, Wednesday evening, Baba Ousman admitted the recruitment was done in conjunction with some party executives, excluding the constituency chairman.

However, he explained that he did not consult the constituency chairman because, at the time of recruiting the people, Zakaria was still on suspension for working against the interest of the party.

“What I did was that I had to look at those in the villages – and since I am the Youth Organizer, I know those people who worked for the party, and my priority is to get those youth jobs. So, when they apply, I consider those criteria as part of my recruitment. By then he (Zakaria) was on suspension. I did this job in conjunction with some of the executives and the DCE. So, I don’t know what he (Zakaria) is talking about. He (Zakaria) was on suspension and when you are on suspension why should I come and consult you on youth recruitment? He (Zakaria) was only reinstated just two months ago. He was suspended for working against the party’s interest,” he noted. Nevertheless, he said he has no one to blame than the Regional Chairman of the NPP, Daniel Bugri Naabu, over the row in the constituency.

“The whole mess is being caused by the Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu. I blame the Regional Chairman because I can’t think far. I pointed this whole issue to the Chairman that the whole mess being caused in Karaga is caused by you. Because how could you reinstate somebody who caused the parliamentary candidate to lose.”