<<Print>>CAGED! From left is the deputy secretary, Osei Bonsu (m) chairman Mahama Salifu and other jailed executives Chaos has engulfed the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Eastern Region following the arrest of some party officers in the area.
Thirty-two out of the 33 constituency chairmen of the party in the region accused the Eastern Regional Minister, Antwi Bosiako Sekyere, of conniving with Joseph Omari Sasu, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Kwahu South, to cause the arrest of the Mpraeso constituency chairman and five other executives.
The six constituency executives, namely Chairman Mahama Salifu, Smart Somuah Nkansah, Sulemana, Osei Bonsu, Haruna Seidu and Owusu Ansah, were last Friday remanded into police custody by the Mpraeso Magistrate Court after they were charged with conspiracy to commit crime, unlawful entry, assault on public officer and stealing. They were alleged to have attacked the DCE, Joseph Omari Sasu, stole his wristwatch worth GH¢120, a mobile phone and an amount of GH¢800 at a meeting in his office.
Daily Guide sources confirmed that the Eastern Regional Minister last Thursday inspected some projects at Mpraeso, held an emergency meeting and after that ordered the police to arrest the NDC executives. They were taken to court the next day and remanded into police custody. The six suspects are expected in court today to seek bail. The 32 other NDC constituency chairmen in the region, addressing a press conference last Saturday, criticised the Regional Minister for failing to deal with the many concerns they had raised regarding the conduct of some DCEs in the region.
They also called on the Regional Minister to come clean on the issue, if he claimed not to have connived with the DCE to cause the arrest of their colleagues. Offices Closed All NDC constituency offices in the region had been closed by the angry chairmen who demanded the unconditional release of their colleagues on remand. The irate executives insisted that Joseph Omari should be removed from office, accusing him of being the cause of all the troubles in the region. Threat They threatened to boycott all party activities including the ongoing biometric registration of party members aimed at realising the Agenda 50/50 dream. They also threatened to incite the youth to cause mayhem if President Mahama failed to sack Joseph Omari Sasu and other arrogant DCEs in the region.
Angry Youth Meanwhile, scores of angry National Democratic Congress (NDC) foot soldiers on Saturday besieged the Kwahu South District Assembly and the DCE’s official residence in an effort to vandalise property; but the police intervened.
They however warned the Regional Minister, the NDC Regional Chairman Bismark Tawiah Boateng and the Regional Security Coordinator Addo Agyekum, not to ever set foot in Mpraeso. Meanwhile, following threats by some executives of the party to burn the house of the DCE, armed police officers have been stationed at the residence of the DCE since last Saturday. On Sunday, James Sarfo Peprah of the Nkawkaw Police Divisional Command told Daily Guide that his outfit would hold an emergency meeting to dialogue with the irate Zongo youth today to restore normalcy to the area.