GH�4,000 Waakye Splits NDC

There is seeming confusion in the Kwesimintsim constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which can adversely affect the party�s chances in the constituency. The situation has emerged following the exposure by the constituency propaganda secretary of the party, Nii Markwei Dawda that the Kwesimintsim NDC chairman, Mohammed Alidu credited �waakye� to the tune of GH�4,000.00 during the 2010 biometric registration exercise. DAILY GUIDE gathered that during the registration exercise, the NDC chairman allegedly bought �waakye� from �One in Town�, the �waakye� seller on credit to feed the party�s polling agents who were assigned to monitor the various polling stations in the constituency and was unable to pay the money. After several efforts by the popular �waakye� seller to retrieve her money from the Kwesimintsim NDC chairman proved futile, she initiated legal action in court against the chairman. The court then ordered the sale of the residence of Mohammed Alidu, the Effia Constituency chairman of the NDC to defray the debt he owed the �waakye� seller. In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Nii Markwei Dawda, confirmed the story and expressed dissatisfaction with the attitude of the Effia NDC chairman. He alleged that the constituency chairman received an amount of GH�24,000 to be used to cater for the needs of the party�s polling agents assigned to the various registration centres. He revealed that the money was supposed to be used for the purchase of food for the party�s constituency agents, among other things. He could therefore not fathom why Mr. Alidu could owe the �waakye� seller a whopping GH�4,000. However, speaking to Kyzz FM in Takoradi on the issue on Monday, the defeated parliamentary candidate of the NDC in the Kwesimintsim constituency, Francis Apuri, debunked the assertion that the constituency chairman received an amount of GH�24,000.00 from the party�s national executives during the exercise. He made it clear that the amount received to cater for the needs of the party�s polling agents assigned to the various registration centres was GH�1,920 and not GH�24,000 as had been asserted. He also indicated that the biometric registration exercise took place in 2012 and not in 2010 as was claimed by the constituency NDC propaganda secretary wondering, �So how can someone who did not know the date the exercise took place, be able to know the amount that was given for the exercise?� Mr Apuri told listeners that the propaganda secretary was allegedly disgracing the rest of the executive members of the party in the constituency because, he (Apuri) refused to adhere to a suggestion from Dawda that he (Apuri) should get a gun for protection during the 2012 electioneering campaign. �Dawda is a blacksmith so prior to the 2012 general elections, he decided to manufacture a gun for me, but I disagreed with his suggestion, and I think that had resulted in the seeming enmity Dawda has had for the chairman and myself,� he stressed. On his part, Dawda who is gearing up to contest for the NDC�s national propaganda secretary position confirmed that, indeed, he is a blacksmith but denied that he once suggested to Apuri to get a gun. He alleged that apart from the cash given by the national executives for the registration exercise, other items including mobile phones that were brought for the elections were shared among some of the party executives and party members who virtually did nothing to bring the party to power. �I was left out in the sharing because they have branded me as someone who is not correct in the party,� he added.