The National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the North East Region has accused the Chief Executive Officer of the National Service Secretariat (NSS) Mustapha Ussif, who doubles as the Parliamentary Candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of scheming to stir up tribal clashes and disturb the peace in the Mamprugu - Moaduri district ahead of the 2020 elections.

The party sounded the alarm in a statement issued Wednesday, June 10, 2020, as tension continues to build up between some youth of Yagaba and Kubori after a controversy erupted following the termination of a road project awarded under the NDC administration to a construction company linked to the Member of Parliament, Amadu Tanko.

The statement is in response to a press release issued a week ago, on social media, by the Regional Secretary of the NPP, Lawyer Sulley Sambia, where he announced the termination of the contract with Tasskalia Ltd.

The NPP Secretary in the release had said the contract was terminated following non-performance by Tasskalia and accused the MP and his company of refusing to vacate the project site by hiring thugs to block the new contractor, Mawums Ltd, from accessing the site.

However, the NDC has rejected the allegations against the MP as baseless and an orchestration by the NSS CEO, Mustapha Ussif.

The constituency communication officer, Amadu Tia said, the termination of the contract amounts to "political victimization."

The NDC said the NPP candidate was attempting to exploit the controversy over the road project to perpetrate violence in the run-up to the elections and blame it on the MP.

"It is an open secret that attempts have been made since your party came to power to terminate the said contract without any just reason", the NDC secretary said in the statement. "These were confirmed when the NSS CEO told the chief and people of Kubori that the contract had been re-awarded to a different contractor since 2017, for which reason the government deliberately decided not to pay the contractor for work done.

"We are aware of the grand schemes you and your parliamentary candidate, as well as the DCE, have made to stir up conflict between the good people of Yagaba and Kubori, something you think will inure to the benefit of your party. The relationship between the people of the two communities has more to do with blood bond and have co-existed since time immemorial and neither you nor your cohorts can sow a seed of disunity among the people."

The two towns of Yagaba and Kubori host the Mamprugu Moaduri district capital. Disagreements, mostly on political lines, have sometimes disturbed peaceful coexistence and resulted in skirmishes.

Recently, there have been tensions between the two rival communities after the District Chief Executive, Abu Adams a native of Kubori, was allegedly assaulted by youth of Yagaba at the chief palace.

The tensions have been exacerbated by a demonstration staged by the youth of Kubori over the abandoned road project, which the NDC said was incited the NSS CEO. 

The rehabilitation of the 36km Daboya-Mankarigu-Wiase road was awarded to Tasskalia in 2016 for completion in 24 months, but was rescoped to 27.3km and further relocated to 12km.

The relocation of the project to Yagaba-Kubori was to upgrade the section with rates for new items including bituminous paving, according to official Ghana Highways Authority documents available to JoyNews. 

But the contractor, the documents say, abandoned the site for over two years and also refused the engineer's instruction to remedy the severely distressed section.

Prior to the termination of the contract, the NSS boss, who is a native of Tantala, was accused of inciting the chiefs and people of Kubori against the MP.

The NDC said it will hold the NPP parliamentary candidate accountable for any acts of violence ahead of the elections in the area.

Mustapha Ussif was not available for comment.