Party exec, DCE at loggerheads

... Over alleged mismanagement of assembly resources

The Upper Denkyira constituency executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are at loggerheads with the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Richard Anane Anodoh for alleged mismanagement of the district assembly’s resources.

Among the charges against the DCE, according to Chronicle’s sources, was that he undermined the authority of the assembly, especially the tender board, by unilaterally awarding contracts to people without fully involving the tender board members.

Documents sighted by The Chronicle lists cases of alleged malpractice in contract awards and engagement of persons for consultancy services. These include contracts for HIPC projects for which the contractors refused to employ labour from the local communities.

The source said at a meeting convened by the presiding member and chairman of the committee on the Poverty Alleviation Fund, the DCE halted the disbursement of the fund with the excuse that he was instructed to foot the bill of the proposed visit of the Vice President to the district.

Even though the visit was called off, he did not allow the money to be disbursed. Instead, he was reported to have arbitrarily, approved a loan of ?8,000,000 from the fund to a contractor who did not reside in the district.

This, the executives said, contravened the guidelines for the disbursement of the fund which state that people who do not stay/live the district should not benefit from the fund or who even if they live in there, should not benefit over and above the stipulated maximum amount allowed for an individual, which is ?500,000.

When The Chronicle contacted Mr. Anodoh on phone he declined to speak to this reporter on the grounds that he had spoken to another reporter on the same issue. He banged the phone when he was told that the issue was a different one.

At a meeting between the executives and the DCE it, was resolved that his continued stay would adversely affect the party in the 2004 general election.

The source said the executives made it clear that since the appointment of Anodoh as the DCE, he had failed to co-operate with them thus undermining the party’s cohesion.

The executives cited instances where the DCE isolated himself at important social functions like the celebration of District Farmers Day and funerals of party functionaries.

They also complained about Mr. Anodoh’s poor relationship with the chiefs, particularly the Ankobeahene and the Registrar of Denkyira Traditional Council, whom he allegedly sacked from his office when they called to discuss some issues.

On another occasion, when the Krontihene, Nana Kofi Adu II, needed the DCE’s assistance in connection with a meeting of the chiefs to discuss the promotion of the president’s special initiative on cassava the DCE refused assist.