Odike Turns Heat On NDC

It has been all rosy and smooth for the business and life of the presidential candidate of the United Freedom Party (UFP), Mr. Akwasi Addai, aka Odike, under the wings of the current President, John Dramani Mahama. The businessman turned politician, even had the privilege of accompanying the President on an investment tour to Turkey and other Asian countries in the early days of the year. Apparently, the defunct UFP Leader has found love and favour with the government of the day and his nearly-collapsed shoe business begun to resuscitate, thanks to what some insiders say was a result of the political romance with the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). But the relationship appears to be gradually coming to a sour end, as the UFP leader is said to be bracing himself for a legal and spiritual battle with the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Kojo Bonsu, who is said to have led a team of military personnel to pull down a multi-million cedis project, which was being undertaken by the UFP�s 2012 presidential candidate. A military team, under the instruction of the City Mayor, was reported to have stormed the construction site on the dawn of last Friday, and pulled down the structure located close to the Asokwa Interchange. Consequently, the UFP presidential candidate has invoked curses on the KMA boss, the Asokwahene and the military personnel who embarked on the operation, and is also promising a fierce legal battle. The KMA boss� decision follows a request by the Asokwahene, who initially offered the land to the UFP leader for the project, but had to backtrack after the Lands Commission declared that the area was not conducive for the construction of the facility. According to reports available to The Chronicle, the project is being undertaken by Odike on behalf of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), and is expected to be used by the Regional DVLA as its office annex. The UFP man claims the contract was offered to him straight from the Castle, upon recommendations of the President, and that the action of the City Mayor was a complete flouting of the orders of the Presidency. He told OTEC FM in an interview on Friday that the City Mayor was �playing with fire,� and that he had the full backing of the seat of government to undertake the project. The UFP Presidential Candidate further contends that he obtained all the necessary documents and made payment to the Asokwahene, Nana Fe-Baamoah II. But, Kojo Bonsu is disputing the claims of Odike, and insisting that the said building had no permit, and that the project would not be allowed to continue. The UFP leader, however, was said to have initially refused several warnings from the Lands Commission and the Metro Engineering Department of the KMA to stop the construction. Riding on the wings of supposed influence from the Castle, Mr. Odike defiantly continued to develop the land, until Nana Fe-Boamah made an appeal to Mr. Kojo Bonsu, who, in turn, organised a military team to the site after the police command had expressed some reservations. Though Nana Fe-Baamoah admitted during an interview with a local radio station OTEC FM in Kumasi, that he made several efforts to refund the money to Odike, but the UFP leader refused and insisted he would go ahead with the construction, because it had been sanctioned by Castle. �I called on him several times to come for his money and stop the project, but he kept on threatening me that the contract was offered to him by Castle, and that there was no way he would stop,� the Asokwahene stated. Meanwhile, Odike has sworn heaven and earth to deal with the City Mayor and the Asokwahene for causing his investment to go down the drain. ODIKE INVOKES CURSE On Friday, the frustrated UFP leader invoked the powerful Ashanti river deity, Antoa Nyamaa, cursing the Asokwahene, the City Mayor and the military personnel who undertook the operation. With bottles of schnapps and eggs, the UFP Leader proceeded to the Asokwahene�s Palace, where he poured libation and invoked the deity. He is also said to have formally filed a legal suit against the three parties, seeking damages in excess of GH�2 million. Mr. Odike, however, refused to grant an interview to The Chronicle, when reached on the phone on Saturday, explaining that he had received instructions from his counsel not to speak on the matter to any media house.