Volta Chiefs storm Flagstaff House

The turf-war between the Mahama administration and the chiefs and queen mothers of Mepe Traditional Council in the North Tongu District of the Volta region over government’s refusal to honour a Ghc5,000 cash promise made to them (chiefs and queen mothers) is far from over, Today can report.

Credible information available to the paper indicates that the chiefs and queen mothers, on one hand, and some executive members of the Mepe Development Association (MDA) on the other hand, have dropped hints of their intention to meet President John Dramani Mahama at the Flagstaff House in Accra in the coming days.

The move, according to sources close to the traditional council, would form part of efforts by the Mepe chiefs to brief President Mahama on how the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Laryea Afotey-Agbo, has not fulfilled a cash promise of Ghc5000 he made on behalf of the central government to them (chiefs and people of Mepe).

The promise was made when Mr. Afotey-Agbo, then Volta Regional Minister, joined the chiefs and people of Mepe Traditional Area to celebrate their annual Afenorto festival.

The festival came off on Saturday, August 5, 2013. At the festival, Mr. Afotey-Agbo represented President Mahama as the guest of honour for the occasion.

During that event, Mr. Afotey-Agbo, who was flanked by the deputy Education Minister in-charge of Tertiary Education, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto-Ablakwa, and former District Chief Executive (DCE) of the North Tongu District Assembly, Mr. Bubben Dzinadu, promised to donate an amount of Ghc5,000.

The promised money, according to him, was to assist Mepe in its social and infrastructural development projects.

Mr. Afotey-Agbo told the chiefs at the time that his outfit would be depositing the money at the Regional Coordinating Council in Ho where they could go for it.

But one year down the lane, Mr. Afotey-Agbo, the Mepe chiefs said, has turned a deaf ear on their continuous call on him to redeem that promise.

His continuous refusal, Today learnt, has compelled the chiefs and members of MDA to pay a courtesy call on President Mahama with the aim of drawing the president’s attention to that.

Sources close to the chiefs and MDA members told Today that the chiefs were also angry at the Mahama administration over a litany of unfulfilled promises made to the people of the area.

“We are getting tired…anytime we invite ministers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government to talk about development of the area, they only come to repeat the same promises. In fact, we are tired of these repeated promises,” the sources angrily expressed.

“…our people are suffering; our people are cursing and making negative statements against President Mahama and the NDC. Some of them say they have regretted voting for the NDC,” the sources stressed.

Asked exactly what the chiefs and queen mothers of Mepe would be telling President Mahama when they get the opportunity to meet him, the sources noted that: “The chiefs will tell the president about the series of letters they sent to the coordinating council in Ho for the money and how they were informed that Mr. Afotey-Agbo left not ‘even a penny for them.”

The sources further noted that at the intended meeting the chiefs would spell out a list of unfulfilled promises by the NDC government.

The sources added that the chiefs would also tell President Mahama how the current North Tongu District Chief Executive (DCE,) Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Mrs. Delphin Fafa Agbayi, and Mr. Okudzeto-Ablakwa respectively ignored their pleas to assist the chiefs and people of Mepe to collect the money from Mr. Afotey-Agbo.

It would be recalled that Today in its reported how the chiefs and people of Mepe chased Mr. Afotey-Agbo over the Ghc5000 promise.