The Upper East Regional Police Command is
interrogating an activist of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for
an alleged plot to have the party’s parliamentary candidate for
Bolgatanga Central, Isaac Adongo, assassinated.
The suspect is said to be one of the campaign coordinators engaged by
the current Member of Parliament (MP) for Bolgatanga Central, Emmanuel
Akolbire Opam-Brown, for his unsuccessful bid for a third term in office
at the last primaries of the NDC.
Police are withholding the identity of the suspect for security reasons.
But reports gathered by Starr News indicate that the suspect was
arrested after a middle-age man (name withheld for security reasons) had
filed a complaint of assault against him. The complainant also
disclosed to the police that the suspect had contracted him to
assassinate the parliamentary candidate and promised to reward him with
Gh¢ 20,000 and a car if he succeeded.
The Upper East Regional Police Commander, DCOP Simon Afeku told Starr
News police would not downplay the implications of the allegation.
“The fact that the complaint has been made does not make it true. It
needs some further investigations, which we are carrying out. We are not
downplaying the allegation. We just have to be firm and investigate it
very thoroughly and come out with the truth and deal firmly with it.
That is precisely what we are doing,” DCOP Afeku said.
Speaking to Starr News, the Bolgatanga Central Constituency Secretary of
the party, Abdallah Salifu, described the complainant as a “creative
liar” who is fond of duping and blackmailing public figures for a
living. The complainant, according to Mr. Salifu, had duped former
Ghana’s Ambassador to Mali, Donald Adabere, when he was the Brong Ahafo
Regional Minister. He is also reported to have duped a former
parliamentary aspirant, Simon Atebiya, and caused the arrest of one
Boston on accusation that the suspect was involved in the printing of
counterfeit currencies? which, according to Mr. Salifu, was later proven
to be false.
“This is a gentleman that everybody must be careful of. He has a long
history of criminal activities. This is not going to be the end of the
story. In fact, he must prove beyond reasonable doubt because what he
alleged can cause a serious internal problem. Already, after the
primaries, you know what goes after the primaries? there are always
petty, petty divisions. National executives came and we are beginning to
mend our cracks. So, some of us are really surprised that stories like
this are coming out from not even credible human beings,” the
Constituency Secretary fumed.
When contacted for his take on the development, Mr. Adongo, who is the
supposed target of the alleged assassination conspiracy, refrained from
speaking much about the case. His posture, according to him, was due to
the fact that the matter was being investigated by the police and also
for fear that speaking to the issue could undercut the efforts being
made by the party’s national hierarchy to ‘heal the wounds’ and
‘sandpaper the scars’ sustained by individuals and groups from the last
parliamentary primaries.
The sitting MP, according to the Constituency Secretary, has expressed
shock at the development. Mr. Salifu quoted Mr. Opam-Brown, whose name
the complainant reportedly mentioned as the ultimate beneficiary of the
alleged plot, to have said: “I have nothing against anybody. That is the
last thing I would do. I didn’t touch anybody before I became an MP.
And I will not touch anybody to get power.”
The allegation of the assassination plot comes as Ghanaians are still
reeling from the wave of shock that greeted the cold-blooded murder of
the MP for Abuakwa North, Joseph Boakye Danquah Adu of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP), a week ago and another assassination attempt on the NPP
parliamentary candidate for Cape Coast North, Barbara Asher Ayisi, at
the weekend.
Division after primaries
Isaac Adongo, a financial consultant, won the primary last November with
four thousand, two hundred and ninety (4,290) votes. Renowned lawyer,
Abraham Amaliba, finished behind Mr. Adongo with three thousand and
fifty-two (3,052) votes. Computer expert and Incumbent MP, Emmanuel
Akolbire Opam-Brown, polled two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-six
(2,956) votes in third position. George Gamson, a senior revenue
officer, finished at the bottom with nine hundred and six (906) votes.
Camps of Lawyer Amaliba and the sitting MP were at war with members of
Mr. Adongo’s support base in the aftermath of the primary. They cited
some physical attacks and verbal abuses they claimed were ceaselessly
meted out to them by Mr. Adongo’s supporters and vowed to vote against
the candidate at the general elections.
But Mr. Adongo, in defence, told Tanga Radio, a popular private radio
station in Bolgatanga, that the allegations were unfounded.
“It is normally an initial reaction when people feel that election did
not go their way. Yes, people are dissatisfied; people are complaining
that their candidates did not win. But it is up to me now to rally them
around to understand that we need to have the NDC in government because
it is better to have the NDC in government and to support each other
than to be divided and lose the election in 2016. I will do all I can to
mobilise all the forces that are available to ensure that the NDC forms
a united, formidable force to push the elephant once again into the
bush,” he affirmed.
Patching the differences
Meanwhile, a group dubbed “Lawyer Amaliba Fan Club” has emerged in the
constituency. Lawyer Amaliba told Tanga Radio the group was established
essentially to ensure that the disgruntled members of his camp did not
vote against Mr. Adongo as threatened.
Besides, a reconciliation committee, led by the party’s General
Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, and the Minister for Local Government
and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, assembled all aggrieved
parties together in Bolgatanga from across the region’s fifteen
constituencies to resolve the allegations of infractions levelled
against some factions. The meeting took place on Wednesday 10th
February, this year.
Three sitting MPs in the region crashed to the ground in defeat at the
November 2015 primaries. They include Bolgatanga Central’s Emmanuel
Akolbire Opam-Brown, Noah Ben Azure at Binduri and veteran legislator,
Dominic Azimbe Azumah, at Garu. Albert Akoka, the District Chief
Executive (DCE) for Garu-Tempane, was the only government appointee
among the three DCEs who vied for the parliamentary tickets in their
respective constituencies in the region who succeeded, toppling the
long-sitting MP for Garu.
The Chiana-Paga Constituency is yet to hold its primary for unexplained
reasons only trailed by public speculations that largely link the delay
to a petition filed by one of the aspirants over attempts to disqualify
him from the race. But credible sources who took part in the
reconciliation meeting say the primary would be held anytime soon to
afford the eventual candidate the needed ample time to campaign ahead of
the November 7 polls.
The battle ahead
Mr. Adongo is in an electoral showdown with two main contenders? Mr. Rex
Asanga, a rural development expert into NGO management, from the NPP
and Thomas Akurugu, a chartered accountant, from the People’s National
Convention (PNC).
The NDC at the 2012 parliamentary polls obtained twenty-eight thousand,
one hundred and forty-four (28,144) votes, representing 59.12%. The NPP
garnered thirteen thousand, four hundred and sixty-four (13,464) votes,
signifying 28.28%. The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) got three
thousand, five hundred and twenty-three (3,523) votes or 7.40% as
against the PNC’s two thousand, two hundred and sixty (2,260) votes or
4.75%. The National Democratic Party (NDP) attracted two hundred and
sixteen (216) votes, representing 0.45%.
Seventeen persons have been arrested in a dawn
swoop at Apesika, a suburb of Ankama Electoral Area of the Kwahu East
District in the Eastern region.
