It is just a few days gone that, the National Executive Committee of the NPP announced that the elections of Parliamentary aspirants would be taking place on the 20th June this year following its postponement in April 2020 due to covid19 restrictions on public gatherings and social distancing protocols.
Some aggrieved youth of the ruling New Patriotic Party in the Dormaa Central Constituency in the Bono region were seen breaking into the Party office, throwing stones and other missiles, damaging office window frames, louvres, burning office gadgets such as TV sets, Air-conditions, parties regalia, party flags amidst chanting of songs.
According to the eyewitnesses, the youth vandalized the NPP constituency party office over the rumours circulating in the city that, one of the parliamentary aspirants, would be forced to rescind his decision to contest the upcoming NPP Parliamentary primaries after passing through vetting and gaining support and momentum to win the primaries.
In the videos which were captured and being circulated on various social media platforms, some of the NPP youths who came to scene after the incident and are believed to be supporters of the incumbent MP, Hon Kwaku Agyemang-Manu, were apportioning blame and claiming that Hon Iddrissa Ouattara, MCE for Dormaa Central is the one behind the incident. The supporters of the incumbent MP claimed that the action was orchestrated by the MCE who is believed to be an influential personality, assiduously working closed door for Dr Yao Yeboah, to unseat the incumbent MP, Hon Agyemang-Manu.
According to One bystander, the motive of the aggrieved youth was to register their displeasure over the allegation to disqualify their preferred aspirant. The irate NPP youth in the area, mostly the supporters of Dr Yao Yeboah, believe the plot to exclude, their aspirant from the race is being masterminded by the incumbent MP, Hon Agyemang-Manu to ensure that he goes to the polls unopposed.
However, in video reports circulated on various platforms, the MCE, Iddrissa Ouattara, said he has no hand in the action being taken by the aggrieved youth. He said that, is the chairman of the Municipal Security Council ( MUSEC) and therefore his integrity is paramount to him and he believes that is why the President of the republic, Nana Addo appointed him to stand in for him in the municipality.
The MCE said that It came as a surprise to him when the incumbent MP, Hon Agyemang-Manu, the Minister of Health, is granting interviews apportioning blame on him but he denied the claim and urged the incumbent MP to desist from that.
“ There is no clue about what the MP is saying and trust me, I would not involve myself with any of such activities, I have contributed a lot to the party office furnishings. He said the NPP as a party has done a lot for him after winning elections in 2016 and the MP himself too.
He said, those NPP youths who vandalized the party office were arrested and would be facing the law but he said after their punishment, the party should resolve the issues amicably in order not to lose them to the opposition as the margin between NPP and NDC is around 2,000 votes.
In a separate press conference organized by the constituency executives, the NPP constituency Secretary said that the arrest was made after the incident was reported to the Police after they visited the area with some party executives to assess the extent of the damage.
The NPP Constituency Secretary said there should be calm and people should refrain from blaming the MCE over the rumours that he is the one behind the incident until police finish their interrogations.
Story by : Henry Kofi Adane ( Borga 1 )