Ada NDC at each other’s throats

The ADA Constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is struggling with profound internal wrangling over executive and District Chief Executive (DCE) positions which have developed craters in the party.

The regional executive members elected are at loggerheads with a group called Interim Constituency Executive Committee which supported and campaigned for the parliamentary candidate, Comfort Doyoe Cudjoe Ghansah, to win the December 2012 parliamentary election, for taking over their position as executive members.

The NDC regional executives who were constitutionally elected allegedly rallied behind a certain Nene Kakepeemi, an independent candidate and Ada Youth Development chief who broke away from the NDC and lost the December polls.

Gideon T. Doku-Agamah, Ada constituency NDC regional secretary addressing a press conference in response to some allegations raised by the Interim Executive Committee accused Gad Akwerh, interim executive secretary, of contributing nothing towards the welfare of the party at the constituency level.

He alleged that Mr Akwerh, a National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) staff has been circulating NADMO relief items to electorate in the Ada constituency to make the regional executives unpopular in the area.

According to him, Kofi Portuphy, (NADMO) coordinator, was behind the confusion in the constituency in a bid to flush out the constitutionally elected executives whose mandate would expire in December 2013, for the Interim Constituency Executive Committee to assume full responsibility of the party business in the constituency.

The constituency secretary accused Mr Portuphy of also pushing for the removal of the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Rexford Daniel Wussah, for his nephew, Samuel Ofori Portuphy, to take over the position.

Earlier, the Interim Constituency Executive Committee was said to have addressed a press conference dubbed ‘The State of Affairs of Ada East District’ calling on President John Dramani Mahama to conduct forensic audit of all contracts awarded by the current DCE.

He mentioned that for more than a year, no General Assembly Meeting has been held to conduct assembly business, noting that due to inability to convene assembly meetings, the assembly has been unable to elect a Presiding Member.

According to him, since 2009, an audit report which was to be made available to the assembly to for scrutiny was still unavailable, alleging that important documents of the assembly including Functional Assessment Test were reported to be missing from the DCE’s official residence.

He alleged that official vehicles have been assigned by Hon. Rexford Wussah to his relations, mentioning a Ford vehicle with registration number GE 3164 Y and a Nissan Pickup with registration number 2341 U which have been given to a relative in Accra and wife respectively for private business.

Mr Akwerh accused the DCE of awarding contracts to his relatives and cronies, stating that the DCE awarded a supply of ambulance contract to Ada District Hospital at a sum of $83,000 to his wife.

He therefore suggested a forensic analysis of the assembly and a removal of the current DCE by the President.