The officially elected parliamentary candidate for Okaikoi North on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Andrews Okaikoi, has being stripped of his candidature.
Tension within NDC supporters in the constituency is reaching boiling point as some followers and campaigners have become subjects of assault and are literally pulled out of moving vehicles and the cars snatched from them in what looks like an intra-party squabble that has gone nasty.
Mr. Okaikoi, husband of former Minister for Information Zita Okaikoi, also has his campaign posters being ripped off or smeared and his campaign vehicles vandalized and hijacked by dangerously armed gangs.
“Personally, no one has touched me although there are several threats I have received. One of my men, Richard, was the most affected; a whole block was used to hit his waist. He was beaten with blocks in broad daylight and not a single arrest has been made,” Mr. Okaikoi told DAILY GUIDE Monday evening.
On Sunday afternoon, fully armed men, numbering about 20 mounted a roadblock and stopped one of the campaign vehicles of Mr. Okaikoi.
The hijackers literally pulled out the driver, assaulted him and snatched his vehicle, a Mahindra Bolero, with registration number GE 9741-12.
The driver, Richard Adotey, said he could recognise his attackers and that when the vehicle was stopped, his attackers ordered him to hand over the vehicle but he refused.
“One of the thugs called Ebo then told me he doesn’t want to have any problem with me so if I want to leave in peace I should give them the car….Before I could utter a word, one of them called Alidu hit my ribs with a big stone. It was too painful and sudden, so before I realised I had dropped the keys, and they shoved me aside, kicked me and drove away the car,” Richard explained.
People alleged that the attackers were NDC members operating under the protection of National Security, with the blessing of some persons within the party’s national executive.
Mr. Okaikoi was duly elected as parliamentary candidate for the NDC in Okaikoi North but the constituency was divided into Okaikoi North and Okakoi Central due to the recently created 45 additional constituencies.
“With the division of the constituency, my polling station fell under Central but the party gave us the option of choosing where we want to contest because I was the duly elected candidate. I opted for North and the party agreed. Though my residence is in Central, I have a rented residence in North so I qualify and moreover the party said as a full blooded Ga, I could contest anywhere anyway.
“Then I followed up to the Electoral Commission and asked for a vote transfer from Central to North and they said the new CI gives me some 42 days to do that so I was covered. I have since applied for the vote transfer but some people in the party decided to organise primaries for Okaikoi North and they say I can’t contest because I stay in Central.
Meanwhile, the same party had organised primaries for Central and they know I did not contest Central because they had an agreement with me that I would be the candidate for North so I should go get my votes transferred there.
“This is the illegality my followers are opposing against and this is the cause of all the beatings and threats. Our party must rise and exercise class discipline and condemn these shameful acts,” Mr. Okaikoi stated.
But the constituency chairperson Margaret Atitso said the confusion was over since the constituency had elected a new person. Abdul Naziru Abass, owner of Nasona filling station, was endorsed at a primary held over the weekend.
Meanwhile, information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that a conflict resolution committee has been set up by the party to look into the matter.
Persons named as part of the committee include Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Bede Zedeng, Faustina Nelson, Alhaji Hudu Yaya and Dan Abodakpi, all NDC linchpins.
