Youth kick against “usurper”

Tempers are still high in the Hohoe municipality ahead of the announcement of a new Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) by the President John Evans Atta Mills any moment from now.

Officials of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who spoke to The Lead alleged that they were aware of overt and covert moves by some elements at the regional level to impose their preferred choice on the municipality. Information gathered by this paper indicated that after the vetting process at Ho, the regional capital last Wednesday; three names had come tops including one Ken Ahorsu, a lecturer at the University of Ghana, Legon, described as an expert in peace building.

But Constituency campaign chairman in the 2008 general elections Paul Awumey contended that Dr. Ahorsu although hailed from Fodome was not known in the constituency to merit the MCE position.

“As we are approaching the 2012 elections, we must not make the mistake of bringing in someone who is not known on the ground to represent the president in the municipality,” Mr. Awumey who is also the Gbi Bla Branch 2 chairman argued. He added that what is needed is someone who has been on the ground and well known in the party for a long time to be MCE.

According to him, he only heard of Dr. Ahorsu coming around about a month ago to familiarize himself with some of the residents, “apparently in preparation for the MCE job.”

An Executive Member of the Hohoe Gbohome branch, George Azalekor who was also part of the 2008 campaign team also corroborated the assertion that Dr. Ahorsu had never been part of the NDC in the constituency and was nowhere near the party during the 2008 campaign.

Other constituency executives spoken to said party members would be disenchanted if a ‘total stranger’ was appointed MCE over them. “Monkey de work baboon de chop,” is how some of them described it, adding that the gentleman does not even vote in Hohoe North constituency.

When this paper sought to find out from the Regional NDC Chairman, Kwesi Aboagye who also chaired the vetting committee, as to whether there was due diligence done on all the interested candidates before the vetting, he retorted, “That is not a concern to you.”

He asked that those raising the concerns should direct their complaints to his office or that of the Regional Minister.

In an interview with The Lead, Dr Ahorsu who is a lecture at the Legon Centre for International Affairs and a visiting Lecturer at the Kofi Annan Centre for Peace Keeping confirmed he voted in the Ayawaso West-Wogon constituency in Accra.

He however said he was in the race to bring development to his rural folks through the development of agro-industries.

“You know our area is a farming and tourism area, but since there are no industries, the rural-urban drift is affecting development,” Dr. Ahorsu promised.

However, Mr. Azalekor said if Dr. Ahorsu wanted to be part of the party; he must first come and work with the constituency at the grassroots so that they would know him as a party member.

Source: The Lead