Minister responds to Bugri Naabu’s corruption allegations

The Northern Regional Minister, Salifu Saeed in the spirit of party unity and what appears to be redemption of his integrity, has reacted for the first time to allegations leveled against him by the Northern Regional Chairman of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Bugri Naabu.

The Minister was accused by the Regional Chairman of rallying behind one Mohammed Adam Samba, a Businessman to unseat him. But Mr. Saeed has said emphatically that he does not support any individual against others aspiring to contest any position in the NPP at the polling station, constituency, regional or national level.

Chairman Bugri Naabu who verbally assaulted the Gender Minister, Otiko Afisah Djaba for undermining his authorities and also accused her of masterminding the death of the Late Upper East Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mahama Adam recently also accused Mr. Salifu Saeed of bribing DCEs in the region with GHC5,000 to campaign against him (Bugri Naabu).

Speaking at the Northern Regional Delegates Conference of the NPP in Tamale, Mr. Salifu Saeed a.k.a. “You Can be Sure” said “His Excellency the President, I, the Regional Minister and all my Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) who are direct representatives of the President are not ready to support an individual candidate but we will support every candidate at any level so far as he or she is an NPP member”.

The Regional Minister said that he and his MMDCEs were ever ready to work with those who would emerge winners after the upcoming Regional election.

“Whoever wants to contest for any position should come out boldly and speak to the delegates, because if you rely on me as Regional Minister I will fail you because I and my MMDCEs don’t have the power to determine who wins the election”.

Mr. Saeed maintained that so far as the election was not yet conducted and new executives elected, he and his MMDCEs and the President would continue to work with the sitting executives to ensure the implementation of government policies and programmes.

The Regional Minister emphasized that he and the President had a great deal of respect for the Chairman Bugri Naabu and all the Regional, Constituency and Polling Station executives who worked their hearts out to deliver power to the NPP in 2016.

Mr. Salifu Saeed assured the NPP executives that his focus now was to see how he could support them in diverse ways so that they could continue to support the party and the members at the grassroots.

However, the 2017 Northern Regional Delegates Conference brought together several party kingpins including the National Chairman, Freddie Blay, General Secretary, John Boadu, National Youth Organiser, Sammy Awuku, Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu, Ministers for Local Government and Rural Development, Hajia Alima Mahama, Defence, Dominic Nitiwul and Interior, Ambrose Derry.

The rest were the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Solomon Boar, Director General of Ghana Water Company Limited, Dr. Clifford Braimah, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of MASLOC, Mrs. Abibata Shaani Mahama Zakariah, Deputy CEO of Ghana Export Promotion Authority, Akilu Sayibu, Members of Parliament and District Chief Executives among others.