Zita Hubby Fights Back

ABOUT FORTY supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) yesterday converged on the party�s headquarters in Accra over the disqualification of some four parliamentary aspirants including Andrew Okaikoi, husband of Zita Okaikoi, former Minister of Information, by the Greater Accra Regional Vetting Committee recently. According to the protesters, the disqualification of the four was inappropriate, particularly since the 2012 elections would soon take place. They also noted that such an action could let ardent supporters of the disqualified gentlemen to switch camps to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and undermine the chances of the NDC to retain power. Wearing red arm bands and headbands, the aggrieved supporters chanted: �No Andrew Okaikoi, No vote for NDC at Okaikoi North!� The protesters were angry with Kobina Ade Coker, Regional Chairman of NDC for Greater Accra, for condoning and conniving with the Vetting Committee to disqualify aspirants. Hurling insults at him, they even went to the extent of alleging that Mr Coker was recently influenced by some aspirants at Okaikoi North, so that he could favour them. The NDC vetting committee had said there were serious allegations against Andrew Okaikoi, including some publications to that effect. �Andrew Okaikoi�s candidature in our opinion will pose many challenges to the party and at best will be an albatross around the neck of the NDC. Our opponents will use this to destabilise our campaign and even resort to the law courts for disqualification,� the report said. Mr Okaikoi�s wife, Zita, has however been cleared to contest the Dome Kwabenya parliamentary primary. The NDC demonstrators said since the NDC took power, they had been denied jobs everywhere. �Now we walk in our constituencies and boast that our party is in power but we are more broke even than when we were in opposition. People are making mockery of us all the time. �When you even go to look for a job, all you would be told is to present an HND certificate or a degree. But when these people wanted us to vote for them, they never asked us what level of education we had attained.� A lady protester recounted when she was almost caught and beaten up in an NPP stronghold during the last election all because of the love she had for the party. However, minutes after a delegation from the protesters had met Johnson Asiedu-Nketiah, General Secretary of the party, the delegation returned to announce to their colleagues that Mr Asiedu-Nketsia had requested that they present their grievance on paper and submit it to him today for resolution. �General Mosquito told us that Ade Coker and the vetting committee had no right, whatsoever, to disqualify anyone from contesting in the upcoming primaries, so he has promised to look into the issue as soon as we tender our grievance formally.� The Vetting Committee, in its report, okayed some thirty-one aspirants as fit to contest on the ticket of the party in the southern sector come Saturday, November 26, 2011. However, those on whom the committee�s axe has fallen have denied any wrongdoing. They include Andrew Okaikoi, who has been linked with a publication and a petition from an aspirant, Ras Mubarak, who was said to have published castigating articles against President Mills and Augustus Eshun, who was said to have forged signatures on his endorsement forms. Others include Delali Brempong, who was alleged to have been involved in a fraudulent act and also Carl Wilson, one-time chairman of the confiscated vehicles allocation committee that oversaw vehicles confiscation at the Tema Port. �Carl Wilson�s past issues with confiscated (auctioned) cars and his withdrawal from the office of the Deputy Chief of Staff�s office were raised and his answers were unacceptable since he could not give tangible reasons for the President�s decision to ask for his removal. He also declined to comment,� the committee said. Having such a high-profile case against him, the report stated, the NDC would be sending wrong signals that it condoned wrongdoings.