Chief And MP Halt NDC Office Renovation

IN WHAT could best be described as a show of power, the Gulkpegu Regent, Alhaji Alhassan Ziblim has halted renovation of the Tamale North constituency office of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the alleged orders of the MP for the area, Alhaji Abukari Sumani. The MP who claims to have single-handedly constructed the building to house the constituency secretariat of the NDC was alleged to have against all odds petitioned the traditional ruler to truncate the refurbishment. The constituency office was among a list of party structures vandalized by irate NDC youth on April 15 this year in protest against the acquittal and discharge of 15 persons by an Accra Fast Track High Court accused of murdering the late Ya-Na, Yakubu Andani II. Following the rampage by the aggrieved youth, the party�s office located at Kanvili was completely destroyed with the roof ripped off. DAILY GUIDE gathered that somewhere last week, constituency executives of the party met and resolved to renovate the facility for occupation following hints of the opening of nominations for prospective parliamentary candidates. Alhaji Abukari Sumani, the MP for the area who also doubles as Board Chairman of the Ghana Ports and Harbour Authority (GHAPOHA) was reported to have got wind of it and called the regional chairman to stop the process. According to our sources, the Regional Chairman, Sofo Awudu Azorka invited the Constituency Chairman, Alhaji Osman Musah and asked him to stop the project, but he reportedly refused saying he was not running the constituency on the orders of the MP. He therefore called a bluff of the MP and went ahead with the renovation work only to be summoned later to the Gulkpegu Regent�s palace who demanded he obey the instructions not to continue with the project. The situation however comes on the heels of tension between the constituency hierarchy of the NDC and the MP who is still eying another term despite agitation for him to step aside. Alhaji Abukari Sumani during the last general election had a hectic time retaining his seat after an aggrieved parliamentary aspirant went independent and pulled more than 10,000 of his votes. According to constituents, they were disillusioned with his style of leadership and expected a replacement but he stood his ground with the support of the executives and was granted another term in 2008. Having lost favour with the executives this time around, the MP is alleged to be trying to woo his way through the delegates in order to be given another chance but many are revolting against him. With the emergence of Mohammed Abdul-Salam, a stronger contender, reports say the MP feels threatened that he might not be able to maneuver his way through the primaries successfully which is why he is bent on nurturing division among the ranks in the party. Investigations conducted by DAILY GUIDE revealed he was set to meet polling station executives on Thursday but failed to turn up at the last minute with an excuse of having official engagements in Accra. Sources at the constituency have confided in DAILY GUIDE that the MP may be handed a shameful defeat at the constituency primary as the emergence of the new contender who was his campaign manager in 2008 will bring him down. When contacted Alhaji Osman Musah, the constituency chairman confirmed the barrage of incidents but said he was unfazed by the MPs tactics to misdirect the operations of the constituency. He accused him of running a counter administration in the constituency in order to smuggle through his ambition of running for another term warning that he was never going to succeed.