Confusion At Ablekuma South NPP

The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Sammy Crabbe, has directed the Ablekuma South Constituency of the party to institute an emergency disciplinary committee to go into what led to the arrest of some executive members of the constituency.

Last Monday, five executive members of the constituency's executive, including the chairman, Mr William Akapoh were arrested by the Korle-Bu Police, upon the complaint by a Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, Ms Theresa Amerley Tagoe.

Consequently, the regional chairman intervened, bailed the arrested party members and agreed with the police to settle the matter amicably at the party level.

However, when contacted, the Greater Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Mr Kwaku Dompreh, denied that the “police arrested any member of the party, let alone grant anybody bail”.

Briefing the Daily Graphic, Mr Akapoh said he convened a constituency meeting, but when he entered the meeting hall at the constittuency he, together with some of his executive members realised that the high table meant for them had been occupied by some non-executive members.

He said when he ordered the intruders to vacate the seats, some of the members joined the intruders to attack them (the constituency executive) which turned into a melee.

He alleged that he later went to the Korle Bu Police Station to lodge a complaint. He said he met Ms Tagoe, who hit his face with shoes while others who were with Ms Tagoe pounced on him.

Mr Akapoh claimed that he was arrested upon the orders of Ms Tagoe and locked up from 8.45 pm to 12 midnight when he was given a bail for causing damage to party property.

In an interview, Mr Crabbe corroborated the story and added that his outfit intervened because it was a party issue though nobody would not be allowed to flout the constitution of the party with impunity, therefore anyone found to have defied the rules and regulations would be dealt with accordingly.

He alleged that Mr Charles Attram, driver to Mr Ben Brown, the regional Secretary was also arrested because Ms Tagoe was of the view that Mr Brown was nursing the ambition to wrest the position of the parliamentary candidature from the incumbent come 2008 election.

He said all these issues had cropped up because some elements within the party wanted to have their way so that their cronies would be in the executive and vote for a presidential candidate of their choice in the forthcoming national delegates congress.

Mr Crabbe added that some members of the constituency had petitioned the regional executive about some alleged corrupt practices and violation of the constitution by the constituency executive, issues he said the Regional office was gradually addressing and wondered why such unfortunate incidents would occur.

When the Daily Graphic reached for Mr Brown for his comments he said the police had released his driver and apologised for mistakenly arresting him.

As of the time of going to press, Ms Tagoe was locked up in Regional Security Council meeting and therefore, could not be reached for her side of the story.

Story by Donald Ato Dapatem