The Independent newspaper says the Ablekuma North Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kofi Ofori, popularly known as Bella, has allegedly led certain thugs to cause some confusion at the offices of the Ablekuma Sub-Metropolitan Assembly.

According to the paper, but for the timely intervention of personnel from the Odorkor Police Station, matters could have gotten out of hands.

The confusion had to do with some misunderstanding between the NPP chairman and some officials of the sub-metro office over the recruitment of people under the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to work for Micro Financing Scheme designed and initiated by the Kufuor administration to help promote small-scale businesses.

The paper said it gathered that the recruits are required to go for training to be well-equipped to efficiently deal with prospective loan applicants and the concerns they bring along.

The paper, quoting its sources, said it lies within the domain of the sub-metro office of the Assembly to provide offices for the new NYEP recruits after they have been cleared by the Micro Finance Headquarters and the AMA as fit to work.

However, Mr. Kofi Ofori allegedly tried to usurp the authority of the sub-metro, by also recruiting people without re-course to the proper procedures.

The bone of contention is the refusal of the sub-metro to provide office for those allegedly recruited by the NPP chairman, whilst three other recruits, recommended by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Constituency, Hon. Kwamena Bartels, have been offered space in the sub-metro office.

According to the paper, Mr. Ofori's insistence that "his people" be given an office, even though he was acting without any authority from the appropriate quarters, is what started the antagonism between himself and some officials at the sub-metro, which antagonism almost ended in fisticuffs last Friday.

Mr. Ofori has denied leading thugs to cause confusion at the place, adding, "I do not recruit-people and moreover I am not an official of the Micro-Financing Scheme".

He went on to say that, if he had that power, he would rather be employing his relatives to work under the scheme.

He admitted being at the sub-metro on that fateful day, but was there to see the sub-metro Director, Mr. Patrick Ankomah-Adjei. He however refused to disclose what he went there to discuss with the director saying, "It was a private matter."

He blamed some persons at the sub-metro who he claimed are desperate to smear him, and denied the allegation that his obsession with becoming a parliamentarian is driving him into moves to acquire some influence within the constituency.

He even dared the paper to go ahead and publish the story, because he felt unnecessarily harassed by the train of questions the paper put to him.

The Independent said when it reached Mr. Ankomah-Adjei later, he diplomatically tried to brush the issue aside adding, "There was a small misunderstanding, but it has been resolved."

He pleaded with the paper to drop the story, claiming that, the issue had been resolved and that there was no cause for alarm.

The Odorkor District Police Commander, DSP Ernest Maayeb, said, he was at a meeting when he had a call that, there was some sort of confusion at the sub-metro office, and so he dispatched some of his men to go and deal with the issue.

He indicated that, he was yet to receive a report on the issue and that investigations were on-going.



Source: The Independent