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04.03.2009 NDC

NDC Dumps Yamoah Ponko

By Daily Guide
NDC Dumps Yamoah Ponko
04.03.2009 LISTEN

Yamoah Afrifa AFTER USING him to achieve political power, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has virtually dumped Yamoah Afrifa Ponko, the party's Ashanti Regional Director of Operations.

The former Kumasi Asante Kotoko Director of Operations had the shock of his life when his application for the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) chief executive position was flatly rejected.

Interestingly, the man who is credited for doing the 'dirty' job that enhanced the electoral fortunes of the ruling party in the Ashanti region was not even short-listed by the Alhaji Mahama Iddrissu-led appointment committee for the KMA chief executive position.

Five persons out of the 13 prospective candidates who bought the GH¢100 worth of application forms to vie for the coveted position had been short-listed to attend further interviews in Accra.

After the scheduled interview in Accra, three persons would be further short-listed and their names forwarded to the Castle, the seat of government, for the President, J.E.A Mills to make the final decision as to who becomes the next boss of KMA.

Shocked and dismayed about his rejection, the former Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD) Director of Communications ran riot on air accusing the party's regional executives of instigating his rejection.

Yamoah Ponko also accused the appointment committee set up by the president of not vetting prospective candidates; instead they were asking elementary and irrelevant questions during the interview which took place at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in Kumasi.

Rumours were rife in the garden city that the former staunch New Patriotic Party (NPP) member's application was dipped in water, an indication that he was not part and parcel of the candidates who were scheduled to be considered for the topmost position of the city.

Attempting to stage a public relations gimmick for the ruling party, the NDC Ashanti Regional Secretary, Doe Tamakloe, denied Mr. Ponko's allegation that the regional executives instigated the rejection of his application.

Speaking in an interview on Angel Fm, a local radio station, the NDC regional scribe, said the inability of Yamoah Ponko to impress the interview panel which included the party's regional executives led to his rejection.

He said for instance, though, Yamoah Ponko stated on his application  that he completed Amaniapong Secondary School at Asante Mampong and a certain technical school in Nigeria, he failed to tender in certificates as evidential proof.

Furthermore, Tamakloe disclosed that the man who is now famously known in Kumasi as a 'political chameleon' exhibited weak command of the Queen's language when he appeared before the interview panel.

In addition, the regional secretary revealed that though it is common knowledge that Yamoah Ponko joined the NDC from RPD in middle of last year, he deliberately lied that he joined the ruling party way back in 2006.

“Yamoah Ponko should shut up, no body influenced his disqualification, rather his incompetence and lies disqualified him from the race” he angrily submitted.

The regional secretary, who believes that it is rather party members who toiled for years to bring the party to power deserve the right to enjoy government freebies, promised to wash Yamoah Ponko's dirty linen in public if he does not stop accusing the regional executives of causing his disqualification.

“I've declared war against Yamoah Ponko, because I won't allow any latter day saint to come and destroy our cherished party,” he promised.

Yamoah Ponko, who was called in to react to Tamakloe's outbursts, denied the regional secretary's disclosures, calling them a figment of his own imagination.

He insisted that Tamakloe and his men at the regional office stage-managed his disqualification from the KMA boss race because of hatred.

Responding to Tamakloe's declaration of war against him, Yamoah Ponko indicated that he was least perturbed because no one can make life unbearable for him in the NDC.

“We all contributed much towards the victory of the party, so Tamakloe cannot make me unhappy in the party,” he stated strongly.

From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi

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