Cracks in NDC deepen

The suspended Western Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Japheth Baidoe, was reportedly manhandled by angry constituency executives of the party, when he broke into a party meeting being chaired by the Regional Chairman, Mr. Michael Aidoo, to serve the latter with a writ.

Mr. Japheth Baidoe had sued his Regional Chairman for character assassination, but all attempts to serve him with the writ had proved futile.

Therefore, upon hearing that his former boss was chairing a meeting at the regional office of the party at Chapel Hill, a suburb of Takoradi, he decided to lead the bailiff to the place to serve him with the court summons.

The constituency executives, who were at meeting, meant to purposely plot a strategy to re-organise the party, did not, however, take kindly to the conduct of the suspended executive, and, therefore, decided to teach him a lesson. But Chairman Aidoo quickly intervened to avoid any nasty incident.

Japheth Baidoe has sued the party Chairman, the Communication Director, and another co-opted executive member for defamation, barely days after he was suspended from his position.

The suspended Regional Organiser was charged with the offence of diverting party items, non-disclosure of party items in his possession, and sale of party paraphernalia.

But, even before the embattled Organiser could meet the party Disciplinary Committee (DC) to answer the charges leveled against him, he had already dragged two of the regional executives to court for defamation.

The Chronicle sources at the meeting alleged that immediately the angry executives saw the suspended Organiser walking up to the venue, they started questioning what his mission was, particularly when he (suspended Organiser) had, before his suspension, made it clear that he would not enter the new regional office until the Regional Chairman, who bought the edifice, had explained to him (Baidoe) his source of funding.

The constituency executives, The Chronicle gathered, went bananas when they discovered that their former colleague had actually come to the venue to serve the Regional Chairman the writ. They, therefore, decided to pounce on him, but the Regional Chairman reportedly made a quick intervention.

An executive member, who was at the meeting and did not want to be named, confirmed the story when contacted by The Chronicle, and added that had it not been the intervention of the Regional Chairman, anything could have happened to Japheth Baidoe.

To him, the constituency executives of the party, who attempted to teach the suspended Organiser a lesson, were furious because of the stance he had taken against the party executives to send them to court.

Japheth Baidoe has, however, denied, when he was contacted on phone, that he was manhandled by the party executives at the said meeting. He, however, confirmed that he led the Bailiff to serve the Regional Chairman with the writ he had filed against him.

According to Baidoe, when got to the regional office of the party, he was told the Regional Chairman was in a meeting. After the bailiff had waited for well over an hour, without the meeting coming to an end, he (Japheth) led the bailiff to the meeting room to serve the Chairman.

The three defendants, who have since been served with the summons, are the Regional Chairman, Mr. Michael Aidoo (1st defendant), Mr. Famous Tumi Acquah, Communication Director (2nd defendant), and Mr. Kwesi Dick,a co-opted executive member.

Japheth, apart from suing the three for defamation, is also seeking a perpetual injunction against the three from further defaming him. Japheth Baidoe and his deputy, Thomas Assani, were suspended from their respective positions for allegedly mismanaging party logistics.

The suspension letter, which triggered the court action, reads: “You are officially notified of your suspension with immediate effect as the Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress of the Western Region. You are, therefore, advised not to act in the capacity as the Regional Organiser till otherwise notified.”

The letter, signed by the Regional Chairman, Big Aidoo, went on to point out the charges leveled against the duo for which they had been suspended. The charges, according to the letter served on the suspended Regional Organiser and his deputy, are possession of party items, diversion of party items, and sale of party paraphernalia meant for the constituencies.

The letter stated that based on Chapter 8 of Article 46(1) of the party’s constitution, the Regional Executive Committee, on 28th April, took a decision to suspend the duo, in order to commence disciplinary proceedings against them.