Takoradi NPP boiling

THE Takoradi Constituency, of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), is sitting on a time bomb, and could explode anytime from now, if attempts are not made to close the deep-rooted cracks and divisions, in the constituency. The constituency has been split along the camps of the sitting Member of Parliament (MP), who is also the Minister of Fisheries, Mrs. Gladys Asmah, and Mr. Okyere Kwabena Darko-Mensah, the candidate-elect for the 2008 parliamentary elections in the constituency. Supporters of both factions are reportedly brainwashing their members, to vote in what has become known as “Skirt and Blouse” pattern.

This reporter can report authoritatively, that Mrs. Gladys Asmah is not on talking terms with Okyere Darko, the candidate-elect, and the Constituency Chairman of the party, Abdul Mumin.

The division within the party started showing it ugly head, when Okyere Darko was elected as the parliamentary candidate for the constituency.

Mrs. Gladys Asmah allegedly supported the candidature of David Aidoo, her former Special Assistant. Asmah went on a local television station, to prevail on the delegates to vote for Aidoo, on the grounds that he was best to step into her shoes.

The rift between Gladys Asmah and Okyere Darko, however, intensified when the former failed to grant audience to the latter, and his group of campaign members, in her house.

Information available to this reporter indicates that the candidate elect and his campaign members, had gone to the house of the sitting MP, to greet her one Sunday afternoon, but the MP failed to meet the candidate, on the grounds that she would prefer to meet the candidate’s campaign team, and not he himself.

The campaign team also turned down the request, because they went to the MP’s house because of the parliamentary candidate, and that if she was not prepared to meet him, then they would also not meet with her.

Though Okyere Darko has diplomatically denied that the sitting MP barred him from entering her house, sources within the party confirmed the story to this reporter.

A member of NPP in the constituency who accompanied Okyere Darko to Asmah’s house, Mr. Adjei-Baako confirmed that the candidate was not allowed to enter the house of the MP.

Baako who walked to this paper’s office in a rage to narrate the story, said Mrs. Asmah was trying to sabotage the campaign of her successor to be.

According to Adjei-Baako, he could not understand why Gladys Asmah was sabotaging Okyere Darko’s campaign, with her supporters threatening to vote “skirt and blouse”.

A formal complaint has already been laid on the desk of the national executives of the party, over the alleged sabotaging of the campaign of the elected candidate, by Mrs. Asmah.

But, speaking in an interview with a section of the press, Mrs. Gladys Asmah denied that there were divisions within the constituency, thus parrying this reporter’s question, as to how the constituency was going to solve the problem of deep-rooted cracks and division within the party.

Asked how she was going to help Okyere Darko win the seat, Mrs. Asmah replied that “everything needs planning and when we get there we shall see.”

Mrs. Asmah is now the Chairperson of the Regional Camping Monitoring Team of the party.