NPP minister runs riot!

The Deputy Minister of works and Housing and Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma South Constituency, Hon Theresa Ameley Tagoe has held a congress in her constituency contrary to her party's (New Patriotic Party's) order to indefinitely postpone the Ablekuma constituency elections.

Drama also unfolded when the Honourable MP gushed out uncomplimentary words and physically attacked a young man before party and non-party members at the congress. The young man, Mr Yaw Darkwa, Acting Organiser of Gbebu Electoral Area, who allegedly supported a candidate in the last District Assemblies elections, was arrested together with his colleague, Asiedu.

They were taken to the Dansoman Police Station in a car with registration number GP 1144, under the instruction of the Commander who was in the company of the Deputy Minister.

Not even the third Deputy Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Eddie Annan and other party faithfuls could secure the release of the two gentlemen. As at press time last Saturday, they (gentlemen) were still in custody at the Dansoman Police Station.

Theresa Tagoe, clad in a green Milo 'T' Shirt and a cap to match, attacked the young man on her way to attend a party congress to elect constituency executives, which had earlier been postponed indefinitely by the party.

As soon as she spotted Darkwa, Hon. Tagoe was said to have come out of her car and held the neck of the young man, shouting at the top of her voice, "You said you would beat me, now I am here beat me, you will have to beat me today before I leave you".

Darkwa looked on helplessly as Theresa, fuming with rage, firmly gripped his neck. This quickly drew passers-by and party sympathizers to the scene. The Deputy Minister was prevailed upon by some party faithfuls to leave the man alone and concentrate on the day's election activities but her temper had risen very high.

The constituency members called on the party leadership to suspend the congress, (which was slated for last Saturday), to ensure transparency, equal playing field and fair play, to avoid mayhem.

This was contained in a petition by the Ablekum south Constituency of the party dated 18 September 2002, copied to the National Secretariat of the New Patriotic Party, and the Chief of Staff at the Osu Castle.

Theresa Tagoe was accused of electoral fraud and manipulation of list to suit her taste. The candidates, as at Wednesday, September 18, were not aware of the venue for the congress.

A meeting was organised to have resolved all those problems, but according to the petition, was not attended by Theresa Tagoe and her cohorts namely, Alhaji Abu, Roger Gaskin, Agola and George Addo. The NPP Greater Accra Regional Branch, postponing the congress indefinitely, quickly sent a reply to the petition.

"In view of the new preparations of an electoral college list, your Congress is postponed indefinitely. Please re-submit the list for a new date", the letter, signed by Lt. Col. S. Addai-Duah (rtd), 1st Vice Chairman of the Greater Accra NPP, said.

Despite this development, the Deputy Minister went ahead to organise the congress. Mr John Boadu, the Constituency Secretary, told The Crusading Guide that the Deputy Minister's action was causing confusion and embarrassment within the party.

He submitted that candidates like S.K. Ampah, Bernard Bruce, Samuel Collisson, James Mensah, Joana Andor, and Edward Addo were sidelined by the MP and were not aware of the venue and date of the congress. In John Boadu's opinion, Theresa Tagoe was putting up such behaviour because she wanted to remove all the people who would keep her on her toes to do the right thing in the constituency.

When Theresa Tagoe was reached at the congress grounds by this reporter to find out why she had decided to flout the party's order, she replied that thought he congress had been postponed, she could not take the order because she had spent a lot of money in organising it.

She added that she had informed the party that once she had spent a huge sum of money in organising it, she would go ahead with the congress. She denied ever manoeuvring to change the list of candidates for the elections.

Asked about the petition which was written by John Boadu and other party members, the MP flared up in a combatant posture, "John is a liar, he is crazy, I repeat it, he is mad. If you look at his eyes, as a teacher I know he is mad. Moreover, he is foolishly ambitious. I repeat my words. He is timid and stupid. If he is a man he should challenge me or any of the men here".

One Nii Clottey Collison spotted at the Dansoman Police Station, told The Crusading Guide that he was shocked to hear that the congress was in progress when he, as a candidate, had been written to that it was postponed. "We were served with a letter that the congress had been postponed so I am surprised about all these", he submitted.