-As he foments trouble in New Juaben NPP
Kwabena Amankwah
Executives of the New Juaben North constituency of the New Patriotic Party in the
Eastern Region on Monday staged a demonstration against what they see as a
calculated effort by the Regional Chairman of the party, Dr Samuel Annor, to foment
trouble in the constituency.
The action of Dr Annor, according to the demonstrators, who were made up of
constituency and polling station executives, together with Area Coordinators, is
part of efforts “to achieve his selfish motive” of becoming the parliamentary
candidate for the 2012 election.
They also claim the Regional Chairman’s action is targeted at securing the
constituency for his preferred aspirant for the party’s presidential nomination
slated for August 7, this year. Dr Annor is a known die-hard
supporter of Alan Kyerematen.
Wearing red bands, the demonstrators marched from the constituency office at
Effiduase to the Regional Secretariat where they presented a petition expressing
dissatisfaction at the way Dr Annor “is manipulating the constituency for his
selfish interest.”
They were led by Ernest Nyarko and Kwame Afram, Deputy Organizer and Deputy Youth
Organizer respectively, who have vowed to do everything within their power to resist
the attempt by the Regional Chairman to handle the constituency as his personal
property.
The demonstrators carried placards some of which read “Remove Dr Annor”, “A Vote of
No Confidence”, “Juaben North is not his property”, “Party Interest Supreme, Not Any
Individual”.
The demonstration comes in the wake of attempts by the Regional Chairman to annul
elections held to elect executives at all levels in the constituency, and to conduct
fresh elections, ostensibly to
enable his cronies take over the constituency to advance his political ambition.
Last week, he sent letters to the executives informing them of a purported decision
by a Regional Steering Committee to annul all elections held in the constituency
after supposedly considering and upholding a petition submitted by a group, said to
be loyal to him, against the elections.
The letters were sent at a time the party executives were monitoring the recent
voter registration exercise. They were therefore compelled to stop the monitoring.
“This behaviour we find unbelievable coming from a Regional Chairman who should
provide leadership in this all important exercise,” the petition signed by the
constituency chairman, Nana Adjei Boateng, and addressed to the National Chairman,
stated.
“It is clear that Dr Annor is in pursuit of a personal agenda aimed at destabilizing
the New Juaben North Constituency. This desire to organize fresh elections is to
manipulate the system with his new found power to prepare the grounds to achieve
his avowed aim of becoming the Parliamentary Candidate,” the petition added.
Meanwhile, the rest of the regional officers have disassociated themselves from the
decision to annul the elections held in the constituency, insisting that there was
not basis for the action taken by the Regional Chairman.
Addressing the demonstrators, they assured them they would not sit down and allow
only one person to seek to advance his personal ambition to the detriment of the
entire Region.
“The decision to nullify the elections was his personal decision and did not
represent the voice of the leadership. We only heard of it; he did not consult us
before taking the decision,” Umar Bodinga, the Regional 1st Vice Chairman insisted.
The Regional Secretary, Prince Aboagye, could not understand the conduct of the
Chairman, maintaining “there was no problem with the processes
involved in the election. National has accepted the status quo should remain. We
would not allow one person to pursue his individual interest to the detriment of
the entire Region.”
When he took his turn to address the demonstrators, Frank Annor Dompre, the Regional
Youth Organizer, stated: “Steering Committee has no power to nullify election
results. We won’t condone any illegality; we won’t allow him to use the party to
achieve his individual aim.”
