Ahead of December 7 Polls...Parliamentary Candidate Cries Foul

An Independent Parliamentary Candidate in the North Tongu constituency of the Volta Region, Mr. Christopher Kofi, has revealed that the Member of Parliamentary (MP) for the area, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa is currently conniving and condoning with the Attorney General Department (AG-D) and BNI to arrest him before the December 7, 2016 polls in a bid to scuttle his chances of winning the seat.

Addressing a large crowd at his campaign launch a couple of days ago in the Mepe Traditional Area, Mr. Eleblu who is a former Director of Internal Audit at the Ministry of Health stated that Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa who doubles as a Deputy Minister of Education has been going round telling people that "we have ordered BNI to arrest Mr. Eleblu on the grounds that he has defrauded the state."

He mentioned that some officials of the BNI are currently terrorising and harassing him on the direct orders of Mr.Okudzeto Ablakwa, accusing Him  (Christopher Kofi Eleblu) of defrauding the state to the  tune of GHC646.000.00, an allegation Mr. Eleblu described as "frivolous."

"The BNI officials a couple of weeks went to my former office at the Ministry of Health on the orders of Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa to demand for the payment vochure (PV) the government has used to pay the contractors that it has engaged to do periodic maintenance on the 52 training institutions under the MoH," he disclosed.

Fuming with rage, Mr. Eleblu lashed at Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa warning him to stop the habit of using the youth and state security institutions to launch a smear campaign against him in bid to destroy his chances of winning the seat.

Mr. Eleblu noted that he is enjoying unmatched support in the Constituency making it difficult for Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa to find his feet hence decided to destroy his personality.

According to him, the incumbent MP has paid some people who are entrusted with the duty to always go on his Radio station, Klenam FM to verbally attack him (the Independent parliamentary candidate), calling him names in view of discrediting him before his people.

Mr. Eleblu told the crowd that the  paid personalities went on the said FM station claiming he (Mr. Christopher Eleblu) is a “thief” and that, that was why President John Dramani Mahama took him to court  and his subsequent sack and disqualification from the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Mr. Elebu was saddened at the way Mr.Okudzeto Ablakwa is conducting his campaign, pointing out that, it will be in the best interest of Ablakwa to order his boys to retract the comments they passed against him  on air or prepare to face him in the law court to tell the whole nation why he thinks Mr. Eleblu is a thief.

It is a known fact that Mr. Eleblu, who was a former Director of Internal Audit of MoH, was faced with an alleged High Court case where he was  accused together with the Director of Administration at MoH, Mr. Robert Azumah, and Head of Estate, Mr. Michael Kyere-Yeboah, of defrauding the State to the tune of GHC646,000.00, an allegation Mr. Eleblu described as “unfounded.”

Meanwhile, the facts of the said case are that in 2008, the late Minister of Health, Major Courage Quashigah engaged the services of some contractors to do periodic maintenance work on 52 training institutions under the ministry, to which contracts and agreements were signed between the MoH and the contractors with job orders given to that effect.

Various amounts were charged by different contractors per the job each was to do on quarterly basis; hence the first contract was signed on September 1, 2008.

Advance mobilisation fees of 50 per cent of the annual charge for the first year in 2008 was paid to the entities fee for the 52 maintenance contract works awarded after each contractor provided bank guarantee.

During the early part of 2009, after the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) took over political power from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), an article appeared in the pro-NDC newspaper, Daily Democrat, citing them for fraud. 

On 18th June 2009, National Security wrote to EOCO to investigate the alleged crime and  since then investigations have been ongoing and several invitations had been extended to him, all of which he duly honoured.

However, EOCO failed to prosecute him but allegedly continue to haunt him with invitations and questions which he believes would not help the cause of justice in the case.

It is a known fact that all along, EOCO charged them for over four times but failed to prosecute them for court.

Residents of North Tongu who are displeased at the comments being passed on air alling Mr. Eleblu a ‘Thief,’ have vowed to ensure the downfall of Ablakwa on December 7 since they are well prepared to close all loopholes for which Ablakwa wanted to use to rig the election.

They indicated that, Eleblu is a native of North Tongu, who was born and bred in the area, and understands better the development challenges confronting the people.

They said, his vision of supporting the people to transform the manner in which development issues were tackled is laudable to them and they support that idea hence their decision to support him by giving him their votes on December 7.

They indicated that, Eleblu is a native of North Tongu, who was born and bred in the area, and understands better the development challenges confronting the people.

They said, his vision of supporting the people to transform the manner in which development issues were tackled is laudable to them and they support that idea hence their decision to support him.

Labeling Mr. Okudzeto as an ‘MP on paper’, Mr. Ebeblu explained that the only times the people were privileged to see him were during his appearances on radio and television programmes, as well as electioneering campaigns.

Mr. Eleblu anticipated defeat for the Deputy Education Minister in the December 7 polls, as the people have openly declared their support for him.

The support, he stated, was a demonstration of the change they had longed for all this while, tying his conviction to the fact that he had lived with the people, and, as such, could testify to their 

He gave the assurance to meet the needs of the people, when voted for, come December 7.

Mr. Eleblu emphasised that long before he conceived the idea of becoming an MP, he was involved in a number of community development activities, including the building of classroom blocks and putting up of accommodation for teachers with his own money.

Mr. Eleblu realised that open defecation was the order of the day in most parts of the constituency, due to lack of public places of convenience, but that was the least of the worries of the MP.

“This is not the type of MP that North Tongu needs, and I promise you, when you vote for me, I will not abandon you and come to you only when it is time for another election.

"I have a responsibility to interact and share ideas with you, who voted for me, and I will also not give you GH¢20 with the aim of getting your votes, as is being done, but will equip you to enrich yourselves. Yes! I will teach you how to fish, rather than to give you fish,” he stressed.