Nkawkaw MP, Eric Kwakye Darfour
A grand scheme led by some persons within the governing New Patriotic Party to tarnish the image of the Eastern Regional Minister, Eric Kwakye Darfour, has been exposed.
The agenda, initially targeted at making the minister lose his parliamentary seat, after its success, has been extended further, this time, targeting his ministerial position.
However, this grand agenda has been exposed, exonerating the minister, and rather bringing the heads of some of the faces behind the scheme to the chopping box.
Genesis
The scheme started with the collection of a GHC1 levy from drivers who ply their trade in the three Municipal and District Assemblies in the Kwahu area ahead of the NPP’s parliamentary primaries.
Road-blocks were mounted at all entry ports to the Kwahu enclave including MTTD – Atta Ne Atta; KAWSEC Junction; Life FM; Soldier-line; Adoagyiri – 440 and Nsuta – Abanase.
The drivers, angered by the decision, approached the regional minister at his office to intervene. The minister then invited the three MDCEs in the area to reconsider their decision since it can go against the governing party in the area which happens to be one of the party’s strongholds.
Report says about three different meetings involving the drivers, Regional Security Council (REGSEC), the three MDCEs in the Area, Kwahu West’s Yaw Owusu Addo; Kwahu East’s Isaac Agyapong and Kwahu South’s Emmanuel Atta Ofori Snr were held.
On all the occasions, the MDCEs plainly rejected the calls by the minister and REGSEC, as well as the countless cries of the drivers.
Unable to withstand the pressure and to get a legal backing for the decision, especially in the case of the Kwahu West Municipal Assembly, where the Minister doubles as the MP, the MCE quickly took the issue to the Municipal Assembly for ratification and to be made an Assembly by-law.
Strangely, soon after the NPP’s primaries, which the minister lost, the three MDCEs unilaterally suspended the collection of the levies, without going back to the Assembly for a reversal of the decision.
In an interview on Nkawkaw based Agoo FM, the MCE for Kwahu West and the MP for Abetifi, Bryan Acheampong, announced the stoppage of the collection of the levies from the drivers, a day after the Minister had lost the primaries.
True to the announcement, the collection of the levies, though not sent to the Assembly for its reversal, seized.
Vote of no confidence
Infuriated by the disrespect shown them by the MCE and the absolute breach of the Model standing orders for District, Municipal and Metropolitan Assemblies, some assembly members kickstart a process to pass a ‘vote of no confidence’ in their MCE.
The Assembly members, numbering about 14, petitioned the Presiding Member of the assembly to begin processes towards the exercise, a process which they have since rescinded.
Second strategy
The actions of the Assembly members were quickly greeted by the saboteurs of the MP with the execution of their second strategy of making him lose his ministerial position.
Report says stories were quickly planted in some media organisations accusing the MP of masterminding the actions of the Assembly members, in an attempt to smear him.
The MP was also accused of sabotaging the party’s parliamentary candidate, Joseph Frimpong, a former Constituency Organizer of the party.
This deliberate link of the actions of the Assembly Members to the minister according to sources within the minister’s circle came as a complete shock to him.
According to the source, while the minister had no knowledge about the actions of the assembly members, he is equally baffled and finding it difficult to come to terms with why he will be linked to their actions.
The minister has also been accused of branding his car with pictures of the President and the Vice-President without that of the PC.
A source close to the minister said, it is not up to him to print souvenirs for the PC and that as and when the PC’s souvenirs are ready, he is also ready to help him.
The source said, the branding of the car was done by the constituency secretary who felt the party is not being made visible in the area with just about two months into the general election.
“It had to take the minister to intervene to get the NDC to move their banners from his (MP) area. This is because the NPP PC and the campaign team are not making the party visible in the area. The minister cannot sit idle, so if he is helping in making the party visible in the area as a sitting MP, is that a crime?” the source wondered.
Source: eveningmailgh.com
