NDC FIRES 2 ‘MPs’

Posted on: www.dailyguideghana.com

By William Yaw Owusu

Monday, 09 November 2015

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reportedly sacked two leading members from the party for misconduct.

They include Issahaku Ibrahim, parliamentary aspirant for Walewale in the Northern Region and Dr Kofi Agyarko Dankwah, who is contesting in the parliamentary primary of the NDC in the Fanteakwa South constituency of the Eastern Region.

In the case of Issahaku Ibrahim, the Northern Regional Executive Committee of the party said it suspended him because he allegedly failed to comply with Article 46(6) of the party’s constitution.

“The suspension takes effect from 6th November. By this decision, Issahaku Ibrahim ceases to be a member of the party,” Halid Abdul-Rauf, the NDC Northern Regional Secretary, claimed in a statement.

The statement further warned other party executives and members that they would suffer similar fate if their activities were found to be in gross violation of the party’s constitution.

It was unclear what Issahaku Ibrahim had done but sources said the suspension could have emanated from his suing of the party and another aspirant at a Tamale high court.

He is said to have attempted to get an aspirant, Abudulai Abuba, disqualified because he (Abuba) contested the 2012 parliamentary election on the ticket of the People’s National Convention (PNC), and the court has since summoned the NDC Regional Executive Committee over the matter.

Fanteakwa South

In Koforidua in the Eastern Regional capital, Daniel Bampoe reports that, Dr Agyarko Dankwah was sacked for allegedly engaging in what the party described as “anti-party behaviour.”

A statement signed by the Regional Secretary, Mark-Oliver Kevor, accused the aspirant of “making wild and denigrating allegations about some regional executives, government officials and members of the vetting committee of the party and its decisions without recourse to the internal process for settling grievances.”

The statement further added that Dr Dankwah’s actions clearly contravened the constitution, the party’s guidelines and an undertaking he signed as an aspirant.

According to the statement, the aspirant “failed to defend the party as well as its decisions, faithfully implement the lawful process of the party and show loyalty to the party at all times as enshrined in Article 44 of the party’s Rules of Conduct.

“The premise of the party’s action is Article 45(8) of the party’s Rules of Conduct, which stipulates that a member may be subjected to such action by the regional executives.” 

Court Injunction

Meanwhile, three executives of the party in the same constituency - Nana Tiefo II, Victor Kwaku Boye and Elizabeth Sarkodie - have placed a court injunction on the upcoming parliamentary primary in the constituency, which has been rescheduled to November 21.

A Koforidua high court last Thursday ordered the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia; the Eastern Regional Chairman, Bismark Tawiah Boateng and the Fanteakwa constituency chairman to stop the upcoming parliamentary primary in the constituency until a case involving one Abigail Elorm Mensah, a parliamentary candidate, has been resolved.

The plaintiffs are praying the court to stop Elorm Mensah because they claim she had not been an active party member in the constituency for the past four years.

The plaintiffs from the three branches of the NDC in Shama, Nkankama and Osino said although Abigail Elorm Mensah is not a native of the constituency, the party’s vetting committee went ahead to qualify her to contest. Abigail is said to have come from the Asuogyaman constituency.

Nana Tiefo II told DAILY GUIDE that they wrote numerous petitions to the vetting committee to disqualify Elorm Mensah on the charges that she doesn’t vote and is not a native of the constituency, adding that she has never supported any constituency activity.

According to Nana Tiefo II, Abigail Elorm, who is a former aspiring deputy national youth organiser of the NDC, is not a candidate who can win the parliamentary seat in next year’s general elections.

The court will hear the case on November 11, 2015.