NDC gang attacks DCE...Ejects, threaten to roast him

Information reaching The Chronicle in Tamale indicates that supporters of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Central Gonja District of the Northern Region are kicking against the directive by President John Evans Atta Mills that the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr. Yakubu Zakaria should remain in office till a substantive one was appointed.

The youth are allegedly antagonizing the DCE with constant attacks, threats, insults and harassments and are allegedly refusing to recognize him as their administrative head. The aggrieved supporters have ejected the DCE, Mr. Yakubu Zakaria from his official residence, seized his official vehicle and threatened to burn him and his family alive, if he dared challenged their actions.

The paper gathered that the incumbent NDC Member of Parliament for Yapei/Kusawgu, Hon. Seidu Amadu is allegedly behind the undemocratic behaviour of the NDC youth.

When The Chronicle contacted Mr. Yakubu Zakaria on his cell phone about the allegations, he said “My brother (referring to this reporter), it is good you have heard what I am going through. Don't waste your mobile units, I will personally come to your office to tell you everything. In fact, I decided not to talk about it for the sake of peace, but if you don't mind I will come because the harsh treatment has been extended to other officers who work under my administration. I will tell you everything and even the person behind it all”.

True to his words, around 5:30pm the embattled DCE, stormed our Regional Office in Tamale to narrate his ordeal.

The DCE observed that the directive by President John Evans Atta Mills to maintain the various DCEs in office was apparently undertaken by the ruling party to “imprison” some of them in the districts. “My brother!, staying in that assembly is like I am in prison, there is no respect for me and my subordinates have been turned against me by my MP”.

According to him, the President's directive had offered the supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) -both executives and foot-soldiers the opportunity to intimidate and harass him without any speck of respect. This, he said is undemocratic.

The DCE, blamed his ordeals on the incumbent NDC Member of Parliament (MP) of the area, Hon. Amadu Seidu and other party executives for inciting the youth against him. According to Hon. Zakaria, the MP was now controlling almost every department in the district and has been issuing directives to the heads of the departments anytime he came to the area.

The DCE, therefore, called on President John Evans Atta Mills to prevail on his party followers to put a stop to such behaviour, since he was acting on his (President's) behalf.

When contacted, the NDC MP for Yapei/Kusawgu, Hon. Seidu Amadu denied inciting the youth against the DCE, Mr. Zakaria Yakubu. He said “I have no idea whatsoever about what my DCE is going through in the hands of my party youth, you are telling me for the first time. But what I know is that he has had his own problems with the people in the area because of the recent Chieftaincy dispute in Kusawgu, so I will not be surprised if he is facing such problems”.

Meanwhile, a section of the people in the Central Gonja District, including the Traditional Leaders have also accused the MP of promising to remove all the chiefs that he thought were enskinned through illegitimate means, once the NDC is in power.

The Chiefs in their recent visit to the office of the President affirmed this complaint against the MP. However, Hon Amadu told The Chronicle that even though he was aware of the rumour, he had not made any such pronouncement anywhere, since he knew very well that the Kusawgu chieftaincy matter was in court.