NPP Chairman Under Fire ...over Alleged Bias in Mce Race

The Northern Regional Chairman of the NPP, Alhaji Abdulrahaman Salifu COP, has come under fire from some of his members for his purported bias for one of the contestants for the seat of the Tamale Municipal Chief Executive (MCE).

The allegation which is widespread, is that the Chairman took ?50 million from the said contestant to put his weight behind him. But the Chairman, so furious about the allegation, told the Chronicle that he cannot fathom how much money can influence him to stoop so low or put his reputation on line.

Lost for words, he stuttered: "People know who I am. What will I do with ?50million? That is what they said I took. Fifty million cedis! He exclaimed sarcastically.

One of the members of the committee set up to handle the applications for the DCE position in the region said there was no way the Chairman could have influenced the appointment of a particular candidate.

The committee member, Mr. Owusu Ampadu, said initially, when people started applying haphazardly, the committee directed that all applications be routed to the Regional office of the party through the Chairmen of the constituencies from which they hailed.

Mr. Ampadu said some of the applications from the constituency chairmen were mostly those of NPP members. But because the President is an exponent of an all- inclusive government, the committee advised the constituency chairmen to encourage applications from outside the party.

"People from other political parties applied, including hardcore NDC members. We did not reject them because they are all Ghanaians."

Ampadu said the committee collated the applications and sorted them according to districts. Those with impressive curriculum vitae, irrespective of their party affiliation, were then invited to an interview. A shortlist of proposed qualified candidates was drawn and the names and CVs were forwarded to Accra through the Northern Regional Minister.

"Three candidates were chosen from districts with fewer constituencies and six from those with more constituencies. The various constituency Chairmen assisted in the selection because they are on the ground and knew the capabilities of the applicants."

Ampadu added: "The criterion was simple: One who is capable to do the job. Political affiliation was not a major consideration. The Regional Chairman per se could not have chosen anybody as DCE."

Mr. Ampadu said the prevailing muckraking is being influenced by some of the candidates. They have pressure groups that go around raising false alarm and misinforming the public about the selection process.

"They are those whose applications were not accepted because they brought them long after the short-listing had been done and submitted to Accra. So what good will it have done them if we had accepted their application," Ampadu asked.

He said the final appointment of the DCE from the short-listed candidates is the prerogative of the Ministry of Local Government. "So the allegation that the chairman has taken money or a committee member has given a DCE position to his girlfriend does not hold".

"Fair-minded men and women would know the allegations are just not true. Those who peddle such news are not even party men. Perhaps they want to destroy the party by destroying the leaders first," Ampadu stressed