Minister, MP In Violent Election War

HELL BROKE loose yesterday at Silicon Hotel in Kumasi, where election of New Patriotic Party (NPP) Oforikrom Constituency executives was scheduled to take place, but called off following violent clash between two factions in the constituency culminating in the police firing ten volleys of warning shots to disperse an angry crowd.

In the process, The Chronicle gathered that the Acting Secretary of the Constituency, whose name was given as Opoku was beaten with and his clothes torn into pieces.

Two Journalists from Hello FM and Kessben FM in Kumasi, Sampson K. Nyamekye and Morgan respectively, who attempted to record the incident were attacked by some of the people with Morgan? s recorder seized.

It took the intervention of the police and other respectable persons to free the two from the hands of the angry crowd.

It all started at about 1: 00 p.m. when an unknown group of thugs emerged from nowhere, besieged the place, and started attacking some of the delegates believed to be in the camp of the constituency chairman, Mr. Lawrence Akwasi Prempeh.

About 15 thugs spotted at the scene by this paper came to disrupt proceedings of the election, launching several attacks on perceived opponents.

It was not clear as to who brought them but it was gathered that the Member of Parliament for the area, Mad. Elizabeth Agyemang who has a faction in the constituency, might have hired them to execute her mission.

Mr. Martin Dahlin, Anloga-Akosua Kubi polling station chairman, accused the MP for the action of the macho men and referred to previous incidents at the constituency office.

He told The Chronicle that he was at the party office receiving nomination forms when the vehicle of the MP and some old constituency executives with some macho men surrounded them (those at the office), and subsequently attacked them.

He continued that it was the same people who had come to the Silicon Hotel where the election was booked to come on, and disrupted the event by causing commotion in a violent way.

Dahlin accused the Regional Minister for having contributed to the internal wrangles at the Oforikrom Constituency after failing to act on an issue brought to him for settlement.

He also alleged that Minister Boafo had caused an announcement to be made to the effect that he had dissolved the constituency executive and described it as ?irresponsible? on his part, since the NPP constitution did not permit ?the action of the Regional Minister?.

He as well accused the MP of trying all possible means to have her people as executives.

More than twenty police officers from the Buffalo Unit of the Ashanti Regional Police Command were spotted at the scene trying to protect life and property.