The Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Ofosu Ampofo, has received a petition filed against former Minister of Works and Housing, Enoch Teye Mensah for engaging in anti-party conduct.

Benjamin Essuman, the NDC Branch Secretary of New City Lodge B, Taifa, in the Dome Kwabenya Constituency, who filed the petition, said E.T. Mensah has “extremely misconducted himself as a leading member of the party and therefore must suffer the consequences thereof.”

His petition is about utterances made by the former Minister of Works and Housing on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana, August 3, in connection to the Saglemi Housing project saga.

E.T. Mensah had expressed surprise at some comments made regarding the NDC administration’s handling of the controversial Saglemi Housing project.

In a statement, the party’s National Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, argued that E.T. Mensah’s successor, Collins Dauda, had done no wrong to be charged with causing financial loss to the state.

According to him, Mr Dauda could not be totally blamed for some measures put in place by Mr Mensah, who had informed Parliament that the housing units will not be built at a go.

“It is instructive to note that the Minister of Works and Housing at the time, E. T. Mensah informed Parliament during the debate on the approval of the loan facility that the 5000 housing units will not be built at a go, but rather over a period of time, that is, in phases.”

He also explained that the $200 million credit facility secured for the project did not cover the housing units' sewage and other ancillary works.

“Since government did not have any funds to fall on to discharge these responsibilities, the decision was taken by the Ministry to use part of the approved amount of the project ($200 million) for all the necessary ancillary works to pave way for the construction of the housing units and to make the project site a commercially viable and habitable community.”

However, reacting to these comments, E.T. Mensah had accused the NDC official of peddling falsehoods.

He intimated on Metro TV’s Good Evening Ghana that anyone who claims the $200 million loan agreement did not cover ancillary works does not know what he is talking about.

“It is a lie. I was not into any phases. We knew that we wanted to build, that is, 5,000 houses to be built for workers, and it was approved; executive approval was given, and parliament approved it, so if anything at all, If I wanted to change something, I had to go through the same process again,” he said.

Concerning this, Benjamin Essuman stated that E.T. Mensah had breached the Party’s Code of Conduct as stated in Article 48(1) and (8) of the Party’s Constitution, especially with Article 48(8), and in the process scandalized the peaceful and progressive state of the NDC.

He said, “Mr Chairman, by going on national television to oppose the contents of a statement issued by a national officer and much so describing the National Communication Officer and others as spreading “lies”, Enoch Teye Mensah did not ensure ‘the unity and cohesion of the party'.

"Again, by his decision to go on TV with the intention to contradict the statement issued by the National Communication Officer of the Party, Hon Enoch Teye Mensah did NOT 'defend the name of the Party as well as its decisions' as demanded under Article 47(b).

“Finally, the statements uttered by Hon Enoch Teye on Metro TV to oppose the position of senior party officials and functionaries are in clear violation of Article 47(e), which states that Party members must: ‘show loyalty to the Party at all times’.”