The Ledzokuku branch of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) is currently witnessing massive cracks which is likely to pose as a threat to the party's chances in the upcoming December polls.

The situation compelled the Osono Social Club (OSC), a group that is committed to the strengthening of the party at the constituency, to organize a public forum at Teshie last Saturday to discuss ways of re-uniting the party for victory.

Addressing the gathering, the Chairman of the OSC, Mr. Joseph Leonard Quaye, noted that the Ledzokuku branch of the NPP had been reduced to what he described as 'a family and friends association' by the incumbent Member of Parliament (MP) of the area, Dr. Gladys Norley Ashitey and the Executives of the party in the constituency.

To buttress his claim that the party had been reduced to a family and friends group, Mr. Quaye cited the constituency's delegates' album of the party, which he said is made up of relatives and friends of the incumbent MP and the Executives of the party, to the exclusion of people he described as hard working members of the party.

"A well known NDC activist was made a delegate of the National Congress of the party to elect our flag bearer just because he is a good friend of the constituency Chairman of the party," he emphasised.

The OSC Chairman pointed out that after the 2004 elections, the constituency branch of the party was divided along three factions. He identified the factions as the Hon. Akita faction, the Norley breakaway faction and the Norley faithfuls faction.

"Instead of reconciling all the factions to strengthen the party, the MP and the party Executives have not done that. They contend that the Norley breakaway group is in the minority so they should not be bothered," Mr. Quaye observed.

As a result of the division in the party, he noted that the party lost in the three electoral areas that were being occupied by some Assembly members who were loyal to the NPP during the last District Assembly elections.

He further explained that due to the dominance of the NDC in the newly created Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly, the NDC members dictated that unless they were given the slot of Presiding Member (PM), they were not going to approve the President's nominee for the position of Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), a condition he said they had to comply with to get the MCE approved.

Due to the factionalism in the party, he emphasised that projects such as library and slaughter house that were started at the Teshie market by the former MP, Mr. Eddie Akita, have been abandoned by the incumbent MP to the detriment of the people of the area, who were going to be beneficiaries of the projects.

The Club's Chairman also accused the constituency Executives of breaking links with key identifiable groups of the party at the local level, such as Sweet Mother, Step Down, Millennium Boys among others, who were instrumental agents for the party's victory in the last elections.

He thus warned that if steps were not taken to re-unite the party, disgruntled members may decide either to vote or not to vote for the party.

During question time, most of the club members accused the sitting MP of not doing anything for the area while others said she had failed to honour several promises that she made to a number of groups and individuals.


Source: The Chronicle