NPP Using Rawlings To Cause Havoc In Volta Region

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has vindicated The Herald’s intelligence report that, it is mobilizing some irate youths in the Volta Region through its constituency executives to engage in a series of violent demonstrations against leading Members of Parliament (MPs) and other government appointees within and outside the region.

Names making the rounds to be behind the attempt to cause confusion in the region include Kenwuud Nworsu, the NPP Volta Regional Chairman and Tommy Amematekpor with support from the Communication Director of Nana Akufo-Addo’s campaign and MP for Okakoi South, Nana Akomea.

The NPP is hiding behind the bad blood between ex-President Jerry J. Rawlings and President John Evans Atta Mills towards, creating disaffection for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the region considered a “danger zone” for the opposition party.

The names of Kenwuud Nworsu, Tommy Amematekpor who was ex-President Kufuor’s Advisor during his presidency and Nana Akomea were disclosed by Alfred Woyome, a co-opted member of the Volta Regional Executive of the NDC, on Hot FM in Accra, last Wednesday.

This paper on Monday, October 24, 2011 raised the alarm about plots by the NPP, to stir up trouble in the Volta Region. Interestingly, just a week after the publication, specifically on October 31, a group calling itself Volta Youth Network (VYN), holding claim to the Volta Region, held a press conference at the International Press Center in Accra, raining insults and attacking MPs, government appointees and the NDC party.

They distributed stickers which read: No Founder, No Vote Bank, Regional Movement.

The group’s press conference addressed by its President Mathias Johnson (Kabila) who doubled as the spokesperson claimed that “most Volta MPs are suffering from inferiority complex where their influence, does not even extend beyond the seats they occupy in Parliament”.

Mr. Johnson whose identity The Herald is probing, announced that “from the regional capital to every constituency in the Volta Region, we have mobilized and will continue to mobilize our bases and stage a legitimate protest daily, weekly, monthly till election 2012”.

He went on, “we shall recruit our own youth and mobilize human and material resources to send them to parliament to represent us”.

The group which had the red, blue and white colours of the NPP, descended heavily on the Volta MPs, calling them “wicked, selfish, greedy officials, nonentities whose interest is self aggrandizement”.

Hear Mr. Johnson: “The most notorious of these wicked hatchet men is the MP for Hohoe South and the Volta Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Amenorwode, who has added physical brutality to demand loyalty from Voltarians,” as witnessed during a demonstration in Ho, recently.

He stated: “What MPs forget to note is that, if you suppress a man for a long time, the day of revolt will surely dawn and the revolution would be disastrous to such an oppressor,” and asked, “I am sure you all know of the Arab spring?”

Mr. Johnson claimed that “under President John Evans Atta Mills government today, Volta Youth constitute’ a chunk of highly educated, unemployed graduates that are deliberately left to rot to satisfy some greedy nonentities whose only interest is self aggrandizement”.

In their opinion, “the repeated cancelation of the President’s tour of Volta Region is a testimony to the fact that there is little or no development projects for him to commission hence the lies peddled by the regional executives to the effect that it was due to heavy rains forecast.”

He said “since our people’s condition’ of life, with the exception of government apparatchiks, does not even reflect that of a ‘Rural Bank’, we the youth of Volta Region today refuse to be known as the ‘World Bank’ of the NDC and any other political party”.

“The NDC should be prepared to sweat and earn every single vote in Volta like it does in places like Ashanti region and elsewhere. Employment and economic opportunities for our youth, good roads, hospitals, school infrastructure for our motherland will win our votes and not empty promises,” he insisted.

Sounding rather arrogant and furious, he said “we dare the NDC to go ahead and impose on us any greedy, selfish or wicked MP’ and it will see the consequence. We shall mobilize our exuberant youth, and actively promote and campaign for them as independent candidates to represent the interest of the region in the event that a candidate is imposed on us by the party in any constituency”.

Flanking Johnson at the press confab were Alphonson Abochiea, organizer and Peter Amegashie, secretary.

Meanwhile, true to The Herald’s publication, the group at the press conference mentioned Akatsi Youth Association (AKAYA) as part of the Volta Youth Network (VYN).

The Akatsi group, is dominated by the NPP executives in the constituency, including NPP parliamentary candidate Mr. Leo-Nelson Adzidogah, Mawuli Ocloo – president of the group and also the NPP constituency secretary, Mr. George Aho – NPP constituency treasure who is also an assemblyman, among others. The Herald reported that the NPP was busily mobilizing some individuals in the Volta Region through its constituency executives to engage in aseries of demonstrations against leading MPs and other government appointees in the region.

The modus operandi of the group, The Herald gathered, is to cause anarchy in the constituencies that are noted as strong holds of these MPs, and that, the supposed protest is intended to affect their fortunes of retaining their seats at the forthcoming primaries of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

This move by the NPP, The Herald has been reliably informed, would be replicated throughout the entire Region, and the brain behind the formation of the group is alleged to be the Communication Director of Nana Addo’s Campaign, Nana Akomea, who doubles as the MP for Okaikoi-South Constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

The Herald is monitoring the operations of the three key members of the NPP who are going around the Volta Region, mobilizing youths to stage the riots to create the impression that the NDC has become so unpopular in its world bank.

The three are said to have met the organizers in Akatsi last Friday with a form to fill at a meeting where some monies also exchanged hands. As at last Saturday, they were expected in Dzodze, Kpetoe and Ho.

Amongst the promises being made to the would-be rioters is to recruit lawyers, who have been lined up, to defend them in the event of an arrest.

They are to be bused from town to town to stage these well-choreographed demonstrations in areas where the NPP flag bearer, Nana Akufo Addo, has for inexplicable reasons not taken his ‘Listening Campaign Tour’ to, although some regions have witnessed many visits from the flag bearer.

One of such groups which has already been formed is at Akatsi, in the Ave-Avenor Constituency, called Akatsi Youth Association (AKAYA), and led by the NPP Constituency Secretary, Ocloo Mawuli, alias “Egos”, owner of “Egos Soundz” who is also the Assemblyman for Anyidzime Electoral Area.

The group is alleged to have teamed up with some disgruntled elements in the NDC party, including one Lawyer Evans Gadeto-Dzikunu, who the paper gathered is currently fighting to displace the incumbent Mr. Doe Adjaho from the seat.

Others named as members of the group are George Aho, the NPP Parliamentary candidate, Nelson Adzidogah and Dahume William Kodjo.

The Herald gathered that the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) has been informed about the plot to start the riots from Akatsi, and had called Mr. Dzikunu via phone about the intelligence report, concerning the formation of the group, but he denied of having any knowledge of the group and the plan.

Mr. Dzikunu has reportedly told the BNI that, as a lawyer by profession, he would not embark on such lawless practice and that he would have sought permission from the authorities before engaging in such acts.

When The Herald tried to contact Mr. Dzikunu through several telephone calls and text messages, he did not answer.

Mr. Mawuli, confirmed to The Herald, that there is existence of a group. “Yes, we have a group called Akatsi Youth Association (AKAYA), and I’m their President”. He, however, denied any plot to stage a demonstration against the political authorities in the district.

He told The Herald through a telephone interview that, “the AKAYA was formed early this year but it is yet to be officially launched. It has not yet been registered; we are still working on our constitution after which we will do the launching.”

He insisted that AKAYA was not affiliated to any political party, even though he happens to be the NPP Constituency Secretary.

He noted that, the main aim of the group is to check their leaders who are not leaving up to expectations in the Constituency.

“It is not a political group, it’s a pressure group meant to put our leaders on their toes… I mean all the leaders in the district, and membership is open to anybody to join”.

Mr. Ocloo further confirmed to The Herald that Lawyer Dzikunu was a member of the group but holds no portfolio.

“He often comes to our meetings at times when he’s around”, said Mr. Ocloo.