A youth group affiliated to the National Democratic (NDC) has criticised the leadership of the party in the Wa Municipality for “non performance”. The group known as “Will of the Youth (WOTY)”, noted that the party was losing its vibrancy in the area. At a press conference in Wa on Thursday, the secretary of WOTY, Mr. Hafiz Deen Akram, said the accomplishment of the better Ghana Agenda as well as the retention of power by NDC in 2012 would be a mirage if party leadership were allowed to engage in acts that were contrary to the wishes of the people. The failure to recognize the youth, lack of political ethics and the snubbing of party members by the leadership had resulted in the burning of party ID card by a cross section of the party youth at Mangu in the Municipality. The group alleged that the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) Mr. Duogo Yakubu was fond of addressing those he had had disagreement with that: “never will your community be connected to electricity as long as I stay in the office” which the group contends was swaying supporters to the New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr Akram alleged that Mr. Yakubu had not also given peasant farmers their share of the tractors meant for the establishment mechanization centres but rather sold them to farmers from the other Districts of the Region. He accused the leadership of the NDC of total neglect, sidelining and marginalization of the youth in the Municipality which he said would cost the party in the 2012 elections. The group therefore called for the overhauling of the constituency executive and bringing in fresh brains to turn the fortunes of the party around. Mr Akram said since coming into office, the MCE, the constituency youth organizer and the chairman had made the NDC unpopular in the eyes of the people giving hope to the NPP to win the Wa Central seat come 2012. The group alleged that it was clear that the party men mentioned were building their financial capacity pending their retirement from party activities and were therefore doing very little for the survival of the party. The youth therefore demanded that since the MCE was incapacitated and had allowed himself to be manipulated by party executive, “we request a competent and a more mature politician be appointed for confirmation.” Mr. Yakubu, in reaction, said there had been no incident pertaining to the burning of party ID cards in the area and that some areas have been connected to the national grid while efforts were being made to extend it to other communities. On the sale of livestock belonging to the NYEP, he said the livestock project was meant for all farmers. The sale of the animals was undertaken by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture and therefore he has no hand in it. All contractors for the mechanization centre had been mobilized for the block farmers’ project and none had been sold to farmers in other District as alleged. For the welfare of the NDC, Mr. Yakubu said he had to establish good relations with all party supporters and advised the youth not to misconstrue his action to mean he was being manipulated. Source: GNA