Tension in Kwaebibirem As NDC executives want DCE Out

Credible information reaching Today points to an uneasy calm in the Kwaebibirem District in the Eastern Region following an alleged conspiracy by some regional executives of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) to relieve the Kwaebibirem District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr. Reginald Emmanuel Aboagye Osae, of his post.

This paper learnt that several youth from Kade and Akwatia including some Assembly members last Friday staged a massive demonstration along the principal streets of Kade, the Kwaebibirem district capital, to express their disgust with the intended move by the NDC executives in the constituency.

The enraged youth accused the Eastern Regional Women’s Organizer of the NDC, Madam Evelyn Korang, of allegedly being the brain behind the plot to unseat Mr. Aboagye Osae.

Some of the placards carried by the demonstrators read: ‘Evelyn Leave Kwaebibirem District Alone,’ ‘Evelyn Work In The Region,’ ‘Koforidua Gargantuan Vetting,’ ‘Evelyn Is The Party For You?,’ among others.

The irate demonstrators marched through the principal streets of Kade and ended at the NDC party office where they presented a petition and resolution meant for the party’s national leadership and received on their behalf by the party’s Kade constituency Chairman, Alhaji Mohammed Shiddo.

The concerned youth in an exclusive interview with Today described recent attempts by a section of Eastern Regional executives of the NDC, led by Madam Evelyn Korang to vet five members of the party for the position of DCE as “unconstitutional and uncalled for.”

They listed Madam Faustina Addo, Mr. Anthony Obeng Afrani, Teacher Tenkorang, Mr. Emmanuel Ampofo and Mr Agyei Yeboah as those believed to have been vetted on Friday May 11 2012 for the position in question.

In a quick rebuttal however, Madam Evelyn Korang, refuted all the allegations against her, saying that the vetting of the afore-mentioned personalities for the position of DCE was rather in pursuance on an individual to head the newly created District Assembly; Denkyembour, and not ostensibly to unseat Mr. Aboagye Osae.

They demonstrators demanded among other things as follows: “the NDC must create a party-wide Anti-Racism/ Tribal Grievance Committee to investigate cases of racial prejudice, hate pronouncements or attack; which should be reported to the highest level of the party, NDC must achieve and maintain an all inclusive and representative front at all levels of the party and should sanction all members of the interview panel who sought to usurp the powers and authority of the President, Prof John Evans Atta Mills.

They believed that the steps outlined above would re-assure all members of the party who might come from a minority group or particular ethnic group as is the case of Mr. Osae.

In the midst of these controversies, some inhabitants together with the chiefs of the area, described the DCE as a loyal, accomplished and hardworking NDC member who had unified the party upon his assumption of office.

Meanwhile, in a telephone interview with Today, Mr. Emmanuel Ampofo, Mr Agyei Yeboah and Mr. Anthony Obeng Afrani, three of the alleged five vetted, confirmed that they were indeed invited to the Koforidua Eastern Regional Secretariat of the NDC for an interview for the position of Kwaebibirem DCE.

But they were quick to rubbish allegations by a section of youth from Kade and Akwatia constituencies that they have ganged-up against the incumbent DCE of the area to unseat him.

They described the allegations as baseless and lacked credibility, saying that the allegation was a calculated ploy by some rented youth in the area to discredit them.

According to them, somewhere in April this year, the Kade Constituency Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Jacob Nyamful, made an announcement that a decision was taken during an Eastern Regional NDC executive meeting held in Koforidua that there was a vacancy for the position of the Kwaebibirem DCE and that anyone who is interested should apply for consideration.

They noted that when they submitted their application letters, they were invited via text messages by the Eastern regional minister to Koforidua on Friday May 11, 2012 for the vetting which was chaired by the Deputy Eastern Regional minister, Mr. Tetteh Larbi.

“Is it a crime for us to submit application letters for the position of a DCE where there is a vacancy? If yes it is a crime, then the leadership of the NDC has the legal right to sanction us,” they remarked and subsequently dared the rented-youth of the area to cross-check their facts before washing their linen in the public.”**