NPP MP and supporters invade independent candidate's office

Bogoso (W/R), Nov. 10, GNA - Mr Albert Obbin, NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea/Huni-Valley Constituency and his supporters invaded the office of the Independent Candidate, Mr Samuel Plange Kaye at Bogoso yesterday.

Consequently, 25 million cedis were alleged to have gone missing after the invasion.

Mr Peter Arthur, a businessman and chairman for Prestea/Huni-Valley Constituency for the Independent Candidate told Pressmen at Bogoso today.

He said the MP claimed that he (Arthur) went to bail one Kofi Armah, who was arrested and sent to the Bogoso Police Station for throwing a solution suspected to be acid on the MP's moving vehicle last Sunday.

He said, because some of the MP's supporters severely beat Armah, the Police agreed to grant Armah bail to enable him receive medical treatment.

Mr Arthur said it was about eight o'clock in the morning of last Monday when the sitting MP, Mr Obbin and his supporters numbering about 25, packed in a Nissan pick-up came to park in front of the office and started bragging and throwing insults at Mr Arthur.

At this point, Mr Arthur said the supporters rushed into the office, tore the posters of President John Agyekum Kufuor from the office and at the end of the incident, 25 million cedis being the sales from his drug store and some campaign money was found missing in the office.

He said he still remains a supporter of NPP and sees nothing wrong in pasting President Kufuor picture in his office, adding, he decided to support Plange Kaye because the Mr Obbin has become unpopular and if care was not taken, the seat would be lost to NDC.

Mr Arthur said the MP was imposed on them, because the Western regional office of NPP did not allow Plange Kaye to contest the primary and the re-election of the MP by popular acclamation amounted to imposition of the candidate, because not all the NPP supporters would have endorsed him.

When Obbin was contacted, he admitted before the press that he led his supporters to the Independent Candidate's office to remove President Kufuor posters, because it is the policy of NPP that, one is not allowed to use the posters of the President in any form of campaigning if one contests as an independent candidate.

He, however, denied that his supporters took any money from the office.