<<Print>>

Reports reaching the Daily Guide newspaper indicate that efforts by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, a presidential hopeful of the ruling National Democratic Congress, to meet delegates in the Brong Ahafo Region ahead of the NDC July congress, have been thwarted by some leading members of the party who hail from the region. Nana Konadu was in the Brong Ahafo Region last Friday, during a four-day campaign tour, to canvass for votes in her bid to be elected the party�s 2012 presidential candidate. However, the Regional Minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, purportedly wrote to all Municipal and District Chief Executives (MDCEs) in the region to restrain potential delegates from meeting the former First Lady. Coupled with the letter, Daily Guide also learnt that the NDC National Organizer, Yaw Boateng Gyan, and Cecilia Johnson, a Council of State Member, who are all indigenes of the region, allegedly sent verbal warnings to the MDCEs to do everything within their power to prevent the wife of the party�s founder from meeting the delegates, and that they should engage the delegates in emergency meetings. Sources say going strictly by the directives of the three top personalities of the NDC, the MDCEs camped all the delegates, some at the official residency of the regional minister in Sunyani, and others at various hotels across the region and at the residencies of some of the MDCEs, in meetings during the period of Nana Konadu�s tour of the region. Reports say at Techiman, some angry FONKOR (Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings) members broke into the official residence of the Municipal Chief Executive, Alex Kyeremeh, who had reportedly camped the delegates in the constituency at his residence, and demanded that the delegates should be allowed to leave. The Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Coordinator for Nana Konadu�s campaign team, Nana Yaw Boampong, told DAILY GUIDE that Nana Konadu had to personally go to the Techiman MCE�s residence before the delegates were allowed to come out to meet her. He said at all the places Nana Konadu visited, including Sunyani, Techiman, Atebubu, Goaso and Berekum, the team had a difficult time meeting the delegates because of the Brong Ahafo gurus in the party who had vowed to make things difficult for Nana Konadu. Mr. Boampong said Nana Konadu�s tour of the region was successful despite the attempts by the top party officials to frustrate her. He further indicated that the former First Lady, who left Sunyani yesterday afternoon for Accra, will later hold a press conference to tell Ghanaians about her bitter experience in the region as a result of the action of the top party officials. Speaking on an Accra-based radio station yesterday, the Communications Director of FONKAR, Dela Coffie, expressed his disgust about the development, describing it as �appalling and unfair.� Dela Coffie accused the regional minister, Kwadwo Nyamekye-Marfo, Yaw Boateng Gyan and Madam Cecilia Johnson, of masterminding the grand scheme to frustrate Nana Konadu�s campaign in the region. He lambasted them for hatching a clandestine plan against Nana Konadu in her attempt to woo the delegates in the region to vote for her. He also jabbed at operatives at the Castle, the seat of government, who have been tasked by the presidency to frustrate the campaign efforts of Nana Konadu. In an earlier press statement, Dela Coffie said, �The Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR) find it unfortunate that certain unfair tactics are being adopted by the Castle and the Mills team towards Nana Konadu�s campaign for presidency in 2012, and the falsehoods being peddled against some leading members of FONKAR. �The NDC is a democratic party that believes in the rule of law. The NDC is a party that adheres to democratic principles. We, as members of NDC and friends of Nana Konadu, are therefore surprised at the level of undemocratic tendencies that have characterized the campaign for the leadership contest of the NDC.� However, reacting to the allegations of his personal involvement in camping delegates in the region, Yaw Boateng Gyan, who confirmed having been in the region during the period, denied giving directives to anybody to camp delegates in the region. According to him, he was there to organize their July congress. He has therefore given Dela Coffie and FONKAR, one week to prove the allegation or face him in court. However, Dela Coffie insisted that the NDC national organiser had given specific instructions to party officials in the constituencies and the MDCEs not to open their doors to Nana Konadu.