A pro-New Patriotic Party group, Nana 4 2020 Youth Club, has petitioned President Akufo-Addo and the party leadership to without hesitation, oust the Ketu South Municipal Cheif Executive, Elliot Agbenorwu.

According to the group which claims to have a membership base of about 1,200, the refusal to act on their petition would be detrimental to NPP’s agenda of increasing its votes in the Ketu South in the 2020 December polls, as the grassroots would boycott all election-related activities.

Addressing the media, Convenor of Nana 4 2020 Youth Club, Veronica Nukunu, alleged that Mr. Agbenorwu and the NPP Constituency Chairman, Samuel Doe Haligah, resolved to give appointments, opportunities and contracts to their cronies, including faithful of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC).

She outlined some of the opportunities as “scholarships, recruitments into security services, Nation Builders Corps (NABCo), youth in forestation, planting for food and jobs, school feeding programs…”

She also alleged that Mr Agbenorwu’s involvement in dealings of premix fuel, has led to a perennial shortage of the commodity in the municipality, where majority of residents rely on fishing to support their livelihoods.

“Our investigations have revealed that the fuel is being diverted to our neighboring countries in yellow gallons by some unknown persons through our porous beats,” she claimed.

She accused the MCE of acting in bad faith towards the parliamentary candidate, and polling station executives who didn’t support his bid to contest the parliamentary primaries in the constituency.

Miss Nukunu further alleged that “… streetlights that were provided by the Energy Minister, John Peter Amewu, to aid our campaign as a party, were hijacked by the MCE who embossed his pictures on them and shared them to his cabal members to fix in their communities.”

She lamented the developments have caused a deep crack in the Ketu South NPP.

“We want to state succinctly without equivocation that if our request isn’t satisfied for the growth of our party in the constituency and Hon Elliot Edem Agbenorwu remains in office, we will boycott all party activists such as general registration exercise, campaign and the election itself”, she stressed.

MCE’s response 

Mr Agbenorwu, however, described the allegations as frivolous and an orchestrated attempt to discredit and ridicule his administration due to “sheer envy”. 

He explained that he has no authority to hand-pick a particular contractor to be awarded assembly contracts adding, due diligence is done before companies are selected to execute public contracts in the municipality. 

He indicated that all individuals who had appointments and befitted from government opportunities, duly served the party and merit their portfolios. 

He also debunked allegations of a perennial shortage of premix fuel in the municipality detailing there has been consistent supply.

Mr Agbenorwu further stated, landing beach committees have been formed to take charge of the selling of the fuel to ensure the right beneficiaries get access to the commodity.  

“These people are just frustrated and I think the NDC is using them,” he suspects.