DAILY GUIDE has gathered that hell broke loose at the Nzema East Municipal Assembly of the Western Region on Monday when the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) James Ata Kakara Baidoo, allegedly exchanged blows with a National Democratic Congress (NDC) executive member in the area.
The executive member, Emmanuel Jones Kabutey, is also a staff of the Department of Social Welfare at the assembly.
The paper learnt that the alleged nasty incident happened in the full glare of some staff of the assembly.
According to sources, there was heated argument between the MCE and the NDC activist, making tempers rise, which turned into physical exchanges.
But for the intervention of some of the staff of the assembly, the situation would have degenerated into something more untoward.
An impeccable source in the camp of the NDC, who divulged the incident to DAILY GUIDE, alleged that the confrontation stemmed from an embargo the MCE had placed on the salary of Kabutey.
DAILY GUIDE gathered that the assembly had also queried the NDC activist for engaging in active politics while working with the Department of Social Welfare.
The query letter, signed by Peter Assan, Acting Coordinating Director – a copy of which is in DAILY GUIDE’s possession – read in parts: “You are hereby queried for not performing your duties on 1st June, 2013.”
It continued, “You are engaging yourself in political activities contrary to the code of conduct of the Civil Service.”
When DAILY GUIDE contacted Jones Kabutey, the Axim Community Centre NDC branch executive member, he confirmed the incident.
He explained that when it got to him that Mr Kakara Baidoo had placed an embargo on his salary, he confronted him on Monday to find out why he took that decision.
He said the MCE accused him (Kabutey) of collaborating with some youth activists to write petitions for his (MCE’s) removal.
He added the MCE told him that before he (MCE) would lift the embargo, Kabutey should go to all the local FM stations to say that all that was contained in the petitions they wrote were not true.
“He also told me to go to DAILY GUIDE to write a rejoinder to the effect that all the stories the paper published about him were not true,” Kabutey added.
He said he told Mr Kakara Baidoo that he could not do that because it was rather the aggrieved NDC youth who wrote the petitions and that joining the youth’s activities did not affect his work at the assembly.
He said the MCE then started bragging that as for him no one could take the position from him because the president looked at his qualification before making him the MCE.
“I also told the MCE that then he lacked leadership qualities so he should go for leadership training,” Kabutey underscored, adding that the MCE got annoyed and began pushing him and shouting at him, resulting in the exchanges.
He claimed that when the dust seemed to have settled the MCE went to the police station to report the case.
When DAILY GUIDE called Supt Edward Annung Konyel, Axim District Police Commander, he retorted, “I don’t know you so I will not comment.”
Efforts to reach the MCE for his side of the story were not successful because his cell phone was off.
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