NDC youth groups clash in Kumasi (photos)

The swift and timely intervention of the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Sarpong and armed police officers averted bloodshed at the newly constructed offices of the Ashanti Regional office of National Democratic Congress (NDC) when two groups within the party clashed in the early hours of Tuesday.

The under current is the seeming mistrust, allegations and counter allegations involving some elected executives and the other government appointees as well as some aggrieved youth groups.

The fire was ignited when on Monday, an NDC group within the party called ‘Barshaka’ drove away all officers and visitors and locked the party’s offices with over 10 new padlocks because according to them,  the elected executive have failed to reward them adequately after using them for electoral victories and had also failed to unite the party.

Later at night, armed police officers relieved the party doors of the clutches of the Barshaka padlocks.

As a show of superior clout, another group within the same party referred to as ‘NDC Motor Riders Task Force Group’, on Tuesday occupied the offices to fend off the threat of the Barshaka Group who has also massed up at the office to lock the offices again.

Members of all the groups are well-built men also known as machomen.

Barshaka 

Speaking to Graphiconline when tempers had subsided , the leader of the Barshaka Group, Ben Abdallah said the decision to lock the regional offices was the last resort because after several written and unwritten petitions to the leadership of the party to unite them had fallen on deaf ears.

He alleged that the executives, especially those who were re-elected last year had always channeled their attention at assiduously undermining all the regional ministers and ensuring that they were removed.

He said months before the November 2014 regional congress which brought in the current executives, his group raised the red flags about the need to close the widening gap between the youth groups and the elected executives.

Abadallah added that just after the Obimpeh-executive were sworn into office, they started letting their concerns known and when nothing was done they resorted to the media, this he said attracted the attention of a Vice Chairman, Nana Kwesi.

“Nana Kwesi called us to the office. We wrote down all our concerns on paper but almost two months nothing has happened. That is the reason why we locked the offices up”, he explained.

NDC Motor Riders Task Force Group

Reacting, the leader of NDC Motor Riders Task Force Group, Alhaji Mohamed Alhassan ruled out any clash but added that they did not want “their brothers to lock up the offices again”.

He added that the Regional Minister has invited the groups to a peace meeting on Wednesday and assured the gathering that nothing untoward would be done.

Allegations 

The machomen claimed that because they supported other aspirants, anytime they came to the office, the Regional Chairman and some executives would order their removal from the office under the pretext that they supported Mr T. K. Braimah, who lost to Mr Obimpeh.

The Regional Youth Organiser, Mr Brogya Genfi who has accused the Regional Minister of being the brain behind the locking up of the offices let the cat out of the bag, when he said on Accra based radio, Peace FM that “the Minister is the one behind all that is happening in the party”.

Instantaneously, the regional Minister denied the claim by his Youth Organiser and in text message to Peace FM he said, “I will not descend into the gutters with Brogya Genfi”.

Others Executives

All other party have stayed off commenting on the issue but sources within them indicated that since Monay night, they had been involved in crucial meeting to find a lasting solution to the impasse which could affect the chances of the party.

In last Monday’s edition of the Daily Graphic, a senior member of the party, Alhaji Nuhu Alhassan Dicko, expressed worry about the feud between the party executives, the 2012 parliamentary candidates, members of the Tertiary Education Institution Network of the party and the Zongo Caucus. 

“The disunity among party executives, especially at the regional level where the Regional Chairman, Dr Samuel Sarpong, are said to be disunited, if not resolved could mar efforts of the party. 

Recently report were rife in the media that the TEIN and Zongo caucus in the region were calling for the removal of the regional minister, leading to the regional executives of the party appearing before national officers for a resolution of the matter”, Alahji Dicko who was a member of the Regional Election Committee added.

Regional Minister

Addressing the visibly angry machomen who formed the two groups, the Regional Minister invited them to a close door meeting at a venue tomorrow to iron out their differences.

He, however, cautioned them not to take the law into their own hands irrespective of their grievances.

To the regional Executive, Mr Sarpong urged them to become unifiers, notwithstanding, who supported them or not during the electioneering leading to their election in November adding that “even ghosts are looking for increased number how much more a political party that needed votes to win elections”.

He expressed the hope that after his meeting the regional executive would continue from there to ensure that the all knotty areas were ironed out.

Youth Organiser condemned

In an telephone interview Mr Sameed Akalilu, the Regional Communications Director, condemned the Regional Youth Organiser for publicly attacking the regional minister and urged party members to respect authority and set good standards.

He said the party has laid down procedures for addressing concerns which must be religiously adhered to, saying, “How will the Regional Youth Organiser take it if a constituency youth organiser publicly attack him on radio?”.

Writer’s email: donald.dapatem@graphic.com.gh

Below are images from the scene of the incident