Filing Fee Arrears: Ishmael Ashitey Chased

One of the frontrunners in the race for the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Greater Accra Chairmanship slot, Mr Ishmael Ashitey is being sought for by the Tema East constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for failure to pay some outstanding arrears to the party after the recently held primaries in the constituency.

Mr Ashitey who filed his nominations to contest the parliamentary seat in the constituency in 2008, refused to pay the GH¢700 fee charged every contestant in the primaries, after losing the elections to his rival.

Several attempts made by the Tema East constituency of the party to remind the former government official of the unpaid bills have fallen on deaf ears.

A letter written by the Constituency Chairman, Ken Obeng Ofosu, in November 2009, with reference number TEC/1A/09, to Mr Ashitey about the unpaid fee, reminded him that the executive committee had placed on record that he had not paid his fee of GH¢700 for the parliamentary primaries held in May 2008. The letter, with title, “Demand of outstanding arrears for parliamentary primaries fees” stated further that “your attention has been drawn verbally on several occasions by both the constituency chairman and the treasurer to that effect; yet, you have not made any effort to settle the amount’.

You are once again being reminded to clear the outstanding amount of seven hundred Ghana Cedis to enable us update our account. The letter continued; “It is hoped you would cooperate with us and clear the outstanding amount this time”, it added.

In spite of all the efforts by the constituency Chairman and the executives to retrieve the money from Mr Ashitey, he has refused to adhere to the rules of the game and want to defy all odds to become chairman of the party in the region.

Source: The New Crusading Guide/Ghana