Some branch members, present and past constituency officers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Nkawkaw constituency of the Eastern region, have accused the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of the Kwahu West Municipality, Alex Obeng Somuah, of antagonizing key and prominent members of the party in the constituency and pursuing his personal political interest at the expense of the party.
According to them, the actions and inactions of the MCE had created divisions and made the party very unpopular in the constituency, adding that if the MCE was not brought to order before election 2012, the party would have completely collapsed in the constituency.
They alleged that Somuah had also been bragging that the president appointed him because of his immense knowledge in local governance as a lecturer at the University of Cape Coast and that he was not appointed to represent the NDC in the municipality.
These sentiments were expressed at a press briefing at Nkawkaw by the party members on Thursday. Their statement was read by Yin Baare, branch chairman of Akuajoo East at Nkawkaw and a constituency executive member who described himself as a �popular face of NDC� in the constituency.
Yin Baare told the press that the MCE had surrounded himself with the constituency chairman and his secretary and the three were running the party like their personal enterprise.
�The MCE does not discuss government policies with the constituency executive members who can explain these policies to the public,� Yin Baare said.
The group explained that even when the MCE inspected or inaugurated government projects, he did not invite branch executives in those communities to enable them to learn of such projects.
They pointed out that the MCE had been giving contracts to only the constituency chairman who even failed to execute most of them due to the number he had been getting.
He said because of such attitude and treatment given to party members, most of the party faithful who fought hard for the party in 2008 had distanced themselves from the party.
He explained that the MCE had been going round telling delegates that the president had nominated him as the unopposed parliamentary candidate for the constituency.
�We don�t want any confusion in the party here because when the same man was asked by the party to stand on the ticket of the party in 2004 and 2008, he declined the offer and now he is fighting to become the party�s parliamentary candidate because the party is in power,� they complained.
They warned that if the party did not bring the MCE to order, they would advise themselves accordingly.
The MCE, in a reaction, debunked all the allegations and said the �smear campaign� being waged against him was coming from people who were interested in contesting for the parliamentary ticket since they saw him as a threat to their ambition of becoming the party�s parliamentary candidate.
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