NPP accuses Ellembelle DCE of insulting Freddie Blay, John Boadu

The Constituency Executives of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ellembelle of the Western Region have accused the DCE for the area, Francis Kwasi Bonzo of insulting their National Chairman, Freddie Blay and John Boadu, the National Organizer.

In a petition signed by the Constituency Chairman and others addressed to the Chief of Staff and Local Government Minister, sighted by the media, they said the DCE has been engaging in some acts which in one way or other has created serious division in the party.

According to the petition, the misconduct of the DCE will have a serious negative impact on their quest to win the Ellembelle Parliamentary seat for the first time in 2020.

They alleged in the petition that the DCE on the 3rd of March 2019 met all the polling station executives of the party at Esiama and insulted Freddie Blay and John Boadu.

According to them, the DCE called their National Organizer, John Boadu a thief for rigging a polling station election in favour of the current Chairman.

"The Hon. DCE without resort to the party Structures in the Constituency, called a meeting of polling station Executives from Esiama zone on the 3rd of March, 2019. In the said meeting, the DCE collected the mobile phones of all the polling station Executives and castigated the National Chairman, Hon. Freddie Blay and the party's General Secretary, John Boadu. He called John Boadu a thief, who masterminded and helped rigged the polling station elections in Ellembelle in favour of the incumbent Constituency Chairman and his group", they claimed.

They also added that the DCE also described their National Chairman, Freddie Blay as a selfish person who only think about himself and always neglecting his followers.

They also alleged that "The pride-filled DCE took the whip to Chairman Blay. He described him with unprintable words. Paraphrasing his words, he said ''Freddie Blay is selfish; he will not help his followers to progress economically. In the past, whoever followed Freddie Blay lived in abject poverty. Mr. Efaa, Mr. Kwabena Tumi, Mr. Kwame Apprey etc. are few of such people who have sacrificed their lives for the National Chairman in the Constituency but failed to help them.''

On other development, they accused the DCE of abandoning his official bungalow since he assumed the office as a Chief Executive of the District and lodging in a rented an apartment in Takoradi.

"The DCE, since his appointment in 2017, has been lodging in a rented apartment in Takoradi (about 75 KM to the district capital) at the expense of the assembly neglecting official bungalow which had been occupied by previous district chief executives of the area. A whopping amount of money was spent to renovate this official residence immediately he resumed office with the hope that he will reside there to effectively perform his official duties. He hardly comes to work and people will always meet his absence thereby creating discomfort for the entire populace which is stifling development of the district", they explained.

They also alleged that the DCE has been awarding contracts to some NDC contractors to the detriment of the party faithfuls and Constituency Executives.

They added that he has been projecting the NDC's Member of Parliament for the area, Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah more than President Akufo-Addo who gave him the DCE position.

"Sadly, he has awarded all contracts to NDC contractors at the detriment of party faithful’s and Constituency Executives. The DCE will not give a single contract to the executives to enable us finance party activities despite all efforts", they bemoaned.

They are therefore calling on the government and the leadership of the party to take serious sanction against him adding that failure to do so will compel them to disregard him as their DCE.

Below is the full statement

PETITION OVER INIMICAL MISCONDUCTS OF ELLEMBELLE DCE, HON. KWASI BONZO

The Ellembelle Constituency Executive Committee of the NPP wish to bring to your notice, inimical misconducts from the Hon. DCE, Kwasi Bonzo which is tarnishing the image of the party in the Constituency and the Presidency that afforded him the opportunity to serve.

Mr. Kwasi Bonzo, the DCE, has been engaging in acts which in one way or the other has created division and continuous to thicken by the day. The constituency executives take serious exception to his conduct and would like to lay the issues bare for necessary actions to curb the menace.

The Hon. DCE without resort to the party Structures in the Constituency, called a meeting of polling station Executives from Esiama zone on the 3rd of March, 2019. In the said meeting, the DCE collected the mobile phones of all the polling station Executives and castigated the National Chairman, Hon. Freddie Blay and the party's General Secretary, John Boadu. He called John Boadu a thief, who masterminded and helped rigged the polling station elections in Ellembelle in favour of the incumbent Constituency Chairman and his group.

The pride-filled DCE took the whip to Chairman Blay. He described him with unprintable words. Paraphrasing his words, he said ''Freddie Blay is selfish; he will not help his followers to progress economically. In the past, whoever followed Freddie Blay lived in abject poverty. Mr. Efaa, Mr. Kwabena Tumi, Mr. Kwame Apprey etc. are few of such people who have sacrificed their lives for the National Chairman in the Constituency but failed to help them.''

The DCE, since his appointment in 2017, has been lodging in a rented apartment in Takoradi (about 75 KM to the district capital) at the expense of the assembly neglecting official bungalow which had been occupied by previous district chief executives of the area. A whopping amount of money was spent to renovate this official residence immediately he resumed office with the hope that he will reside there to effectively perform his official duties. He hardly comes to work and people will always meet his absence thereby creating discomfort for the entire populace which is stifling development of the district.

The DCE will always have to commute a distance of about 75 KM from Takoradi to Nkroful alone when he decides to come to office. The fuel alone is putting a lot of financial burden on the assembly not to mention his rented apartment.

Key opinion leaders in the district could not fathom why the DCE has abandoned his official bungalow the Assembly allocated to him and instead decided to use the Assembly’s scanty funds to rent an apartment for himself at Takoradi and have complained severally to the Constituency executive committee.

The DCE since assumption onto office has refused to support financially any party activity in the constituency, been it polling station or constituency level. The constituency executives especially the chairman has to struggle to raise funds and resources to support communicators and serial callers to propagate government policies.

Sadly, he has awarded all contracts to NDC contractors at the detriment of party faithful’s and Constituency Executives. The DCE will not give a single contract to the executives to enable us finance party activities despite all efforts.

Additionally, the DCE has constantly given credence to the NDC for no apparent reasons. His public pronouncements are more tilted towards projecting the NDC Member of Parliament for Ellembelle over the President anytime he embarked on an official tour with or without the NDC Member of Parliament. The Hon. DCE on several functions has been giving donations on behalf of him. The DCE has been crediting Hon. Emmanuel Buah for all developmental projects ever since he assumed office. Most of the media coverage and captions of any developmental project in the Constituency is in favour of Hon. Emmanuel Buah. This act, we believe will hinder the fortunes of the party in both parliamentary and presidential elections come 2020.

After the 2012 general elections, monies that were realized from the party to pay polling agents were diverted by the DCE, Hon. Kwasi Bonzoh, who was then the Parliamentary Candidate. He has since refused to pay them upon pressures by the polling agents. In the 2016 general elections, similar incident happened. He has again refused to pay party agents. Interestingly, when most of them pressured him by resorting to media discussions about his conduct, he lackadaisically paid selected few, presumed to be his favorite.

The DCE has NEVER called the Constituency Executives for any meeting ever since he assumed office let alone to talk about how to help the foot soldiers who toiled for the party.

We have since, written several letters to invite the DCE to engage him on his way of doing things in the Constituency but he has absolutely ignored us as Constituency Executives. We are beginning to doubt his loyalty as a member of the party because of his disrespect for constituency executives and his teaming up with the NDC Member of Parliament.

We however, write to draw your attention to such conduct being exhibited by the DCE which is at the detriment of the party.

Conclusively, this petition is of paramount interest to us due to the fact that the above inimical misconducts of the DCE will obviously hinder the fortunes of the party in both parliamentary and presidential elections come 2020.

We are pleading to your good self to either call the Hon. DCE to order or take the appropriate sanctions against him else we would be compelled to disregard him as the DCE for the area.

Signed!

SAMUEL AKAINYA

(CONSTITUENCY CHAIRMAN)

JOHN NWOLLEY

(CONSTITUENCY SECRETARY)