Sefwi-Wiawso (W/R), Feb. 20, GNA - A meeting to educate polling station chairpersons of the Sefwi-Wiawso constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) on the impending voters registration exercise, ended abruptly on Thursday when two executive members of the women's wing engaged in a fierce fisticuffs that sent the members running helter-skelter.
The abrupt ending of the meeting was no surprise to many of the delegates since most of them were expecting it due to the confusion that characterised an earlier abortive delegates' congress in October 2003 to elect the constituency parliamentary candidate.
It all started during an open forum when one of the members of a faction opposed to the continued stay in office of the constituency executive, asked members of the regional executive, organisers of the meeting, the outcome of a petition her faction sent to them to remove the constituency executive.
This generated a heated debate between the two factions in the party who are for and against the constituency executive. In the ensuing accusations and trading of insults, Obaa Akua, the constituency women's organiser and her vice, Madam Akosua Nyarko, who belonged to different factions, suddenly resorted to physical blows that sent the rest of the party members running out.
Mr Peter Mac-Manu, the Western Regional Chairman of the party, who was by then trying to calm down tempers, had no option but to call off the meeting.
Earlier, Mr Mac-Manu had assured the members that the national leadership of the party had set up a committee to investigate complaints and petitions filed by aggrieved members regarding the holding of primaries in their constituencies.
He said the regional executive therefore, had no power to remove the constituency executive from office until the committee had finished its work.
Mr Mac-Manu said what was important was for the members to close their ranks and work together as a team to wrest the constituency seat from the NDC.
A constituency delegate's congress fixed for October last year to elect a parliamentary candidate for the Sefwi-Wiawso constituency ended in chaos when factions of the two contestants, Mr Kwesi Blay and Dr Kwaku Afriyie, Minister of Health, clashed.
