Wenchi NDC boils

Angry youth and executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Wenchi constituency of the Brong Ahafo region have called on President John Dramani Mahama to remove the Municipal District Chief Executive (MCE) of the area, Alhaji Hakibu Dauda, from office.

The call, according to the constituency and branch executive members, youth caucus, and party activists, is “to save the party from defeat in the region in the November 7, polls.”

In a statement issued yesterday and signed by the spokesperson for Wenchi NDC Youth Association, Mr. Saddick Abdallah yesterday, the group accused the MCE of being arrogant, disrespectful to foot-soldiers, total disregard for party structures, abuse of power, diversion of area council fund among others.

They also accused the MCE of making unpalatable comments was he was alleged to have referred to the NDC as being dead, something the party activists said they “can no longer tolerate.”

They said it was unbecoming of the MCE who keeps “dragging our beloved party NDC backward.”

Consequently the NDC activists threatened to embark on a demonstration if President Mahama and founder father of NDC, former President, Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, fail to kick the MCE out of office.

“We submitted our petition to President Mahama; we went to the founding father, copied the National Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Kofi Portuphy, the regional chairman and the BNI. Let the president hear and tell us something. But if that fails, we will cause a demonstration and later advise ourselves,” they warned.

Earlier in an interview with Today, Mr. Saddick Abdallah said the MCE through his conduct was injuring the reputation of the NDC party.

Mr. Abdallah, who doubles as the Wenchi Constituency deputy Youth Organiser, noted that the fortunes of the party in the constituency were increasingly dwindling as a result of the management style of the MCE.

According to him, the MCE does not consult party members when taking decisions on behalf of the party.

Mr. Abdallah averred that because of the attitude of the MCE, the party’s support base in areas hitherto considered as NDC strongholds have become shaky with members defecting to other political parties, whiles apathy among the NDC faithful and loyalists was affecting the party’s chances of winning more votes.

He accused the MCE of not being accessible and also difficult to deal with, thereby calling on the president to sack him so as to save the NDC from losing votes in Wenchi constituency.

According to Mr. Abdallah, the MCE has become short-sighted with no vision, mission and foresight whatsoever, claiming it was not only the people of Wenchi who were suffering under his leadership.

He claimed that hard working staff of the municipal assembly were all suffering the brunt of the MCE’s misrule.

But said all efforts to get the MCE to amend his ways had yielded no results, hence their call on the appointing authority to withdraw his appointment.

“Pertaining to this, we foresee danger ahead of the November elections. We cannot afford to lose the status of Wenchi in an election,” he said.

“If he continues to stay in office he will bring disgrace to our party since the role of a DCE is very vital in the administration of our district and mobilisation of support for our great party, NDC. His immediate removal by the president will restrain us from boycotting all activities of the NDC in the coming elections,” he added.

When contacted by Today on Thursday, March 10, 2016, Alhaji Hakibu Dauda denied the allegations of being inaccessible to constituents, saying that “it is deliberate attempt to soil my hard-won reputation.

Mr. Dauda who spoke through his Special Aide to Today, Mr. Sulemana Alhassan said he has done nothing wrong to deserve this kind of injustice.

“The MCE is doing his part; that is why he was among the best MCEs in the whole of Brong-Ahafo region in 2014 and 2015 respectively. This rating was done by government and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs),” he said.

According to him, the MCE and some bigwigs of the NDC including chiefs, Imams and many others were working hand in hand to win majority seats for the NDC come the November 7 polls.

He indicated that the MCE was shocked by the unusual attitude of the youth, particularly their leader, Mr. Abdallah because he did not expect him to go this far with his “so-called” allegations.

“Saddick Abdallah does not consult anybody but do things his own way to suit his selfish interest without having a second thought about the negative impact it will have on the NDC. “Day in and day out, Saddick Abdallah is at the doorstep of the NDC to be given contracts which I might say cannot be given out just like that unlike in the past,” he averred.