Nkoranza South MCE Denies Assaulting NPP Constituency Secretary

The Nkoranza South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Madam Diana Attaa-Kusiwaa, has denied ever personally or asking anyone to assault the Nkoranza South Constituency Secretary, Afum Isaac Twum.

Mr. Twum has alleged that the MCE instigated some party supporters in the constituency, including her driver, Adu Brempong, and Spokesperson Kofi Ohene Sakyi to assault him.

The reason for their action was that they suspected Twum, said to have a frosty relationship with the Municipal Chief Executive, had sneaked into the party office at night to prepare a petition intended to be sent to President Akufo-Addo, asking that the MCE be removed.

But, in her response to The Chronicle, Madam Atta-Kusiwaa refuted the wild claims and rather accused the Constituency Secretary of maneuvering to get her out of office.

According to the MCE, Mr. Twum had vowed that, in his capacity as Constituency Secretary, he would move heaven and earth to create disaffection for the MCE, and subsequently, get the President to dismiss her from office.

Madam Atta-Kusiwaa recalled that Mr. Twum had once said: “Since I have been elected as the Constituency Secretary, I will make sure the MCE is removed from the office,” and added that from all indications, Mr. Afum has personal hatred for her as the MCE.

The MCE expressed worry that instead of the Constituency Secretary working to ensure unity to enhance development of the area, he is rather denting the image of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the area.

“As the Constituency Secretary, I expected him to be rallying support for the work of the MCE as we all strive to develop our municipality, but he is rather doing the opposite,” she said. According to the MCE, Mr. Afum appears to be full of resentment and bent on using any means possible to discredit efforts she has been putting into the development of Nkoranza.

Madam Atta-Kusiwaa appealed to supporters of the party to rally behind the President in building Ghana into a stronger economy.

“Our President has a mandate to transform the country, and as executives of the party and officers in government, we all must focus on the focus of the President and move in one direction for accelerated development,” she said.

Some NPP sympathisers in the Nkoranza South Constituency before the current MCE came to office, served prior notice that they will reject any female nominee appointed by the President as MCE, because they believe that past female MCEs could not develop the area.

Vincent Opoku, leader of the group at the time, said: “We are not happy with females who have so far served as MCEs in Nkoranza South. They worked with no development in the constituency; we are highly disappointed with women MCEs.”

But, in a sharp rebuttal, the then Constituency Women's Organiser, Diana Attaa Kissiwaa (now MCE), described the demonstrators as hired opposition elements paid to tarnish the image of the party with their discriminatory stance.

She called on party sympathisers to stay focused and look up the President, who has the sole power to appoint the MCE.

Then, in November, 2017, the Member of Parliament for Nkoranza South, Charles Konadu Yiadom, allegedly led a group, believed to be members of a pro-NPP vigilante group, Invisible Forces, to attack the Municipal Chief Executive of the area.

The MP, who was said to be the financier for the vigilante group, invaded the residence of Madam Diana Attaa Kissiwaa with the heavily built men and smashed her windows.

The attack followed the arrest of one Jafaru, an 'errand boy' of the MP who had led a group to attack the MCE in her office.

The MP who was not happy with the arrest of Jafaru then, allegedly led some members of the Invisible Forces to attack the MCE.

According to an eyewitness, there was a scuffle between the two, where the MP threatened her with a gun. “The MP fired some gunshots in the air at the residency,” the eyewitness clarified.

Some of the residents said it took the timely intervention of the Nkoranza Police Command to calm the situation.

The Nkoranza South District Police Commander, DSP Mr William Gyamfi, confirmed the incident at the time to XYZonline and said there had been attempts by some youth in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the area to get the MCE out of office.

The police, at the time, arrested the leader of the pro-NPP group by name Jafaru, for attempting to attack Madam Attaa Kisiwaa