NPP Youth Threaten Massive Demo

. . . Over DCE Nominations

A section of the youth and some sympathisers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Amenfi Central Constituency of the Western Region have threatened to go on massive demonstration on Wednesday, this week to protest against the nomination of Mr. Alberto S. Takyi, the defeated NPP parliamentary candidate for Amenfi West in the last elections, as the District Chief Executive for Wassa Akropong. The decision to go on demonstration, Chronicle gathered, follows the alleged corrupt practices that characterised the nomination of Mr. Alberto Takyi and his subsequent imposition on the people against the preferred candidate of Mr. Padmore Kofi Nyankopa Arthur, also a defeated NPP candidate for Amenfi Central.

Information reaching the Chronicle in Takoradi indicates that for some years now, the DCE for area, has always been coming from the Amenfi West Constituency. When the NPP administration took over early this year, the people thought it was time the seat shifted to either Amenfi Central or Amenfi East.

The Amenfi East who should have contested the DCE post with their counterparts from Amenfi Central decided to pull out after their candidate, Hon. Joseph Boahene Aidoo, was appointed as the Western Regional Minister by the President.

It therefore became imperative for the Amenfi Central people to put up a candidate for the DCE post, but this was met with a last minute resistance by Amenfi West, who have been enjoying the position for sometime now. This, Chronicle gathered, led to the formation of an electoral college with five candidates from each of the constituency to vote on the two - Alberto Takyi and Padmore Kofi Nyankopa Arthur.

Chronicle learnt that after the formation of the electoral college, the people from the Amenfi West surreptitiously went to the electoral college members from Amenfi East who had declared that they were not going to contest or put up any candidate and allegedly gave them a ?3million bribe to vote against the candidate from Amenfi Central. The Amenfi East people who have already decided to vote for the candidate from Amenfi Central allegedly took the ?3million bribe but went and voted against Mr. Alberto Takyi from the West.

Chronicle further learnt that after the voting, the Amenfi East people allegedly went to the regional minister and informed him about the ?3million bribe, which was given to them to vote against Padmore Kofi Nyankopa Arthur. The regional minister, Hon.

Joseph Boahene Aidoo told Chronicle when he was reached on his mobile phone that the bribery allegation has been brought to his notice but said so far he has not established evidence to substantiate it. Chronicle learnt that after some members of the electoral college has turned down the ?3million bribe and voted massively for their preferred candidate, his name was struck out when it was sent to Accra with Albert Takyi, who was rejected by the people, as emerging as the President's nominee for the post of DCE for the area.

"Would President Kufuor himself agree if the party had decided to choose Nana Akufo Addo who he beat after voting at the party's congress in Sunyani as the Presidential candidate for the NPP? A young man asked. According to some of the people interviews, they have gathered that the Wassa Akropong district assembly would meet on Wednesday May 16 to endorse Mr. Takyi but since he is not their preferred choice, they would make sure they disrupt the proceedings.

The regional minister, Joseph Aidoo, however told Chronicle that what is done at the constituency level is rather rating and that if one is rated above the other candidates, if does not mean he has automatically been chosen. He told Chronicle that after the rating at the constituency level, the names are sent to the regional level where the regional party executives assess the competence, moral attitude, weakness etc.

of each candidate before forwarding it to Accra for the President to make the final decision since it is his prerogative. In the case of Alberto Takyi, he said the party felt he has spent a lot on the party having been the candidate for Amenfi West since 1992 and lost in all the elections.