NDC To Hold Fresh Primary At Nhyiaeso

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is to organise fresh primary in the Nhyiaeso constituency after withdrawing recognition for its parliamentary candidate, Mr Aubrey Mends, over allegation of fraud involving GH45,000. Mr Mends allegedly used his position as Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council to collect the said amount from a contractor using the name of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Dr Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah. The matter is before the police but Mends has since not been seen. The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr Joseph Yamin, told the Graphic Thursday that the party would not countenance criminal activities in its ranks. �That is why we have decided to relieve Mends of his candidature,� he added. Mr Yamin said a new date would be announced for another primary to elect a new parliamentary candidate. He was convinced that the alleged criminal act of the parliamentary candidate would in no way affect the NDC in the elections in the constituency. Mr Mends, who was also the regional chairman of the Movement for Better Ghana, a pressure group with leanings to the NDC, was said to have collected the money from the contractor on the pretext of using it to influence a contract for him from the regional minister. Dr Agyemang-Mensah, who was shocked about the behaviour of the PRO, sacked him from the job and went ahead to hand over the case to the police. However, Mr Mends was nowhere to be found and the police have since been hunting for him.