The main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Greater Accra regional office is said to be in flames with the stoking of more fire that may virtually burn the party into ashes.
This is because the NDC Greater Accra Regional Chairman, Nii Ashie Moore and the Regional Secretary Theophilus Chaie Tetteh are in acrimonious disagreement with the manner in which the business of the party should be conducted.
Information gathered indicated that the Regional Chairman together with a co-opted regional executive member who is a former MP for Amasaman Nii Okai Laryea is bent on undermining the party’s constitution and procedures.
THE CUSTODIAN also gleaned that the regional chairman and his colleague attempted to physically attack Mr. Tetteh Chaie and his deputy because they were stopping anti-party conduct by their attackers who were circumventing the party rules in favour of their cronies and themselves.
Not prepared to tolerate any lawlessness, the Greater Accra Regional Secretary has been compelled to petition the National Chairman, Parliamentary caucus among others on the conduct of the regional chairman.
In the petition dated January 11, 2023, Mr. Tetteh Chaie described the conduct of the regional chairman as contrary to laydown party procedures which if not addressed immediately, will lead to disunity and lack of cohesion in the party.
This, he added, may also mar the efforts of the party in consolidating the gains made by the Greater Accra Regional NDC in the last elections.
“The Regional Chairman Ashie Moore disregarded my advice not to circumvent the already laid down party guidelines for the Constituency elections in the case of Amasaman. He disregarded the suspension of the former Constituency Chairman (Kofi Zoryiku) by the then General Secretary of the party by reinstating him and including him in the election processes although he had not gone through the election procedures.
“He also included Mr. Thompson an aspirant who was disqualified per the mandatory disqualification in the guideline and whom a petition had been brought against”, Mr. Tetteh Chaie stated in the petition.
According to him, the Regional Chairman did this with the connivance of Nii Okai Laryea and some of the Regional executives.
“He then tasked me the Regional Secretary Hon. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie to write a letter to the Electoral Commission and the Amasaman Divisional Police informing them of the impending elections and I refused because it was contrary to party election guidelines and procedures. The issue is still pending and I plead that the Chairman and Nii Okai Laryea be stopped from carrying out this illegality,” the regional secretary added.
Usurpation of powers
Mr. Tetteh Chaie also indicated that the Regional Chairman has assigned himself the role of Regional Secretary and wants to run the day to day administrative activities of the party with no regards to the Regional Secretary.
“As a result of that some of the constituencies that were very stable are now having challenges due to his interference in their affairs. He storms into the meetings without recourse to the Regional Secretary and gives directives which are contrary to party rules and regulations and also injurious to party unity and cohesion. As a results of his actions petitions have been brought to the region from the following constituencies (Adentan, Ablekuma West, Ablekuma Central, Odododiodioo) due to his interference without recourse to party structures”, Mr. Tetteh Chaie stated.
Party rules circumvented
According to the regional secretary, Ashie Moore has created his own rules and regulations as to how the Secretary should operate.
Mr. Tetteh Chaie recalled how the regional chairman is circumventing the party’s rules with an “Attempt to authorize the Regional Administrator to be the sole signatory of Party letters, a responsibility assigned to the Regional Secretary.
“Attempt to prevent the Regional Deputy Secretary from writing and keeping minutes. Attempting to change the Party’s organizational Party structure by making the organizer the head of the secretariat”.
Assault after meeting
Mr. Tetteh Chaie reported that in his resistance to what he termed as ‘unconstitutional ways of doing things,’ at the party’s last regional meeting held on January 10, 2023, Mr Laryea assaulted him when he was exiting the office for lunch in the full glare of some party executives and members who came to transact business.
As if that was not enough, the Regional Chairman apparently ordered the security man to lock the main gate thereby preventing the Regional Secretary from exiting perhaps to receive more beatings since “In my attempt to stop him he assaulted me.”
Mr. Tetteh Chaie has therefore called on the NDC leadership to probe these issues.
“This an anti-party conduct on the part of Hon. Nii Okai Laryea a co-opted member to assault the Regional Secretary for no offense” and culprit brought to book.
Mr Tetteh Chaie also recalled that the Regional Chairman a day before the National Congress assaulted the Deputy Regional Secretary in the full glare of party executives from all the Regions in the hall where party accreditation was being sorted out.
Prior to that, the Regional Secretary said the Regional party maiden meeting with the Caucus Members of Parliament (MPs), “he showed an unruly behavior to them, which is contrary to party code of conduct. The same way he led some of the Regional Executives to show disrespect to our Regional Council of Elders. Nii Lante Vanderpuye, Sam George, Danny Anang can be contacted on this issue.”
Tetteh Chaie has served noticed that the attempt by the Chairman to make his own rules which is contrary to the dictates of the party’s constitution will not be countenanced since it’s contrary to party constitutional provisions.
“Am therefore counting on your good office to ensure that, the issues raised are dealt with expeditiously to avoid the breakdown of law and order in the region,” he called on the top hierarchy.
