NDC youth in bloody clash over ‘Twea’ DCE

The confusion surrounding the dismissal and subsequent pleas for the reinstatement of the former District Chief Executive Officer for Ahafo Ano South, Gabriel Barimah, took a bloody turn on Sunday when a press conference organized by some youth in the district, ended in confusion, resulting in the injury of some media personnel at Mankranso, the district capital.

Some reporters, who were invited to cover a counter-press conference organized by the Concerned Youth of the NDC, against calls for the reinstatement of the dismissed DCE, were ambushed by another NDC group, led by the Constituency Youth Organizer, Abdul Rauf Rahman.

At the time of filing this report, a broadcast journalist with HELLO FM, Padmore Kwame Ansong, was still receiving medical treatment at the Mankranso Government Hospital, after being subjected to severe beatings by the NDC youth.

The press conference by the Concerned Youth, followed a communiqué issued by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the ruling party, calling on the

President John Dramani Mahama, to reinstate the dismissed DCE.

The statement, which was signed by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, noted that the reason for the dismissal of the DCE was unfair and may have been based on lack of accurate information.

They contended in the statement that the dismissal of Hon. Gabriel Barimah could serve as disincentive to other DCEs in their quest to instil discipline, emphasizing that “the apparent unremorseful interview, which purportedly cost the former DCE his job, was not an official position, but a private conversation which was secretly recorded and played later by the reporter.

The NEC, therefore, unanimously appealed to the President to reconsider his decision to sack the DCE and reinstate him, to enable him continues his good works for the district and the party. Hon. Barimah, who was initially pardoned for his public outrage, which resulted in the infamous local slang “tweaa”, was eventually dismissed by the President after he was heard on another tape, saying he did not regret the act and that he deserved a patent right to the word “tweaa”.

But in an opposition to the party’s highest decision making body, the Concerned Youth of the NDC, led by one Daniel Mantey, held a press conference during which they expressed their opposition to the call by NEC, stating that the comeback of the DCE would be inimical to the chances of the ruling party in the constituency.

They argued that Hon. Barimah’s reign as DCE was marred with incompetence, public embarrassment and absolute disregard for the NDC supporters in the district.

However, their press conference was cut short, when some agitated youth, led by the Constituency Youth Organizer, Abdul Rauf Rahman, and two other stalwarts of the party, whose names were only given as Red and Yussif, stormed the venue of the meeting and attacked participants, including journalists who were invited to cover the occasion.

Reports available to the paper at the time of filing this report indicated that three of the agitated youth had been arrested whilst media personnel who sustained injuries as a result of the attack were receiving treatment at the local hospital.