NDC, NPP Clash�After Mills� Funeral

Just a day after the Prof. John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills (aka Asomdwehene) was laid to rest in Accra, two factions of heavily bodied men commonly known as �machomen� belonging to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) nearly clashed at the premise of Kumasi-based Kesben FM but for the timely intervention of policemen from the Kumasi Central Police Station last Saturday evening. The NDC machomen were allegedly ordered to invade the radio station by Francis Dodovi, the spokesperson of the Ashanti regional minister, and Ebenezer Alooke, a communication team member of the NDC, while the NPP macho men were also allegedly invited by the Ashanti regional secretary of the NPP, Samuel Pyne. Reports indicate that the NDC macho men had been called in to attack an NPP communication team member, Titus Nii Glover, whom members of the party in the region felt was being too harsh on their party and could not repeat what he was noted to have been doing in Accra. First to raise concern about the harsh criticism of Mr. Glover was the region�s Youth Organiser of the ruling party, Kweku Boahen, who went to the radio station uninvited to react to some of the assertions of the former. While he waited patiently for his turn to speak, Today gathered, the two men who were alleged to have phoned the macho squad to come to the radio station also pumped in and began verbally assaulting the NPP panelists. �This made Samuel Pyne to also announce on air that Dodovi and Alooke had brought thugs to attack them making some macho men from nowhere also coming there to protect him and Titus Glover,� a source at the radio station told Today. Tried as the host of the talk show, lawyer Ohene Gyan, and his producers did to calm down tempers of the two sides, it was quite clear none was ready to tolerate the other and therefore bent on showing who was more powerful or stronger, making the station�s authorities to call the police from the Buffalo Unit to restrain them and maintain order.