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The up-coming parliamentary primaries of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), appears to have become a tool for settling personal scores in the Western Region.

Information available to The Chronicle indicates that followers of Michael Aidoo, Western Regional Chairman of the NDC, are using the position of the chairman to run down the campaign of the Western Regional Minister and his deputy, Paul Evans Aidoo and Alfred Ekow- Gyan respectively, in their bid to retain their seats in the 2016 elections.

This is because the Regional Chairman, aka Big Aidoo, and the Regional Minister who are expected to be working together for the forward match of the NDC are rather at loggerheads.

The paper gathered that the Regional Minister and his deputy waged a smear campaign against Big Aidoo when he filed his nomination to contest the Regional Chairmanship position of the party in the Region last year, to ensure that he did not win.

The Minister and his deputy invited all the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the region to the residence of the Bogoso District Chief Executive (DCE), Wisdom Cudjoe and campaigned against Big Aidoo, who was then contesting against Nana Kojo Toku, the favourite of the two ministers.

The smear campaign, led by the deputy Minister got dirty, to the extent that Big Aidoo had to confront the Minister and openly told him hours to the voting that; “Whether you like it or not, I will win and become your next regional Chairman, and you will come to me for help”.

This was when Big Aidoo had complained about the abuse of the electoral process, but the deputy Minister who was a member of the Electoral Team told the then candidate Aidoo – “to go to hell.”

Big Aidoo eventually won the contest, knocking out the choice of the two ministers. Since then the two ministers have been at logger heads with Big Aidoo, to the extent that they have even withheld political information from the Regional Chairman.

In recent times, Big Aidoo has been complaining about how the Minister and his deputy have been sidelining him and not inviting him to political gatherings. What broke the camel’s back was when the First Lady, Mrs. Lordina Mahama visited the Region without the knowledge of the Regional Chairman, which led to a confrontation between the ministers and Big Aidoo.

It is the rivalry and animosity between the power blocks in the Western Region that has led to Big Aidoo and his supporters vowing to pay the Regional Minister and his Deputy back in their own coins.

A regional executive member of the party, loyal to the camp of Big Aidoo told this reporter in a telephone interview that: “We are going to revenge and pay back what the Minister and his deputy did to us. We won’t forgive them, we will revenge.”

The Regional Minister, who has picked his nomination form to contest the Sefwi-Wiawso constituency seat, where he is the incumbent MP, is expected to come face to face with one Thomas Armah, who is regarded as the peoples’ choice in the constituency.

The Regional Minister, according to information picked up from the Sefwi-Wiawso constituency, by the paper, aside Big Aidoo’s threat, is probable to encounter an embarrassing defeat at the hands of Mr. Armah, who is a miner, if the Minister defies advice not to attempt to contest the primary for the fourth consecutive time.

Thomas Armah, who told this reporter three days ago that he was going to pick his nomination forms today was disqualified in the last parliamentary primary to pave the way for the Minister, even when, it was clear on the wall that he (the Minister) was going to lose the contest.

The Chronicle gathered that some loyalists of the Regional Minister in the constituency constituted a mafia group to ensure the disqualification of Thomas Armah. The paper further gathered that Mr. Armah was disqualified on the grounds that he is not a resident of Sefwi.

Speaking in an interview with the paper later, Mr. Armah said after his disqualification, he was prevailed upon by powers in the constituency to be calm, as that would give him the opportunity to contest unopposed in the 2016 elections, as the Regional Minister will not contest.

He, however, told this reporter that notwithstanding the above assurance, information reaching him indicate that the Regional Minister was likely to pick his nomination forms to contest the primary.

Mr. Armah stated; “I am not bothered the Minister is contesting because I am the peoples’ choice and favourite. This is why the party disqualified me in the last election knowing very well that I was going to defeat the Minister during the party primaries.”
He continued; “As I speak to you now, I am on my way to Sefwi to mobilize the youth and pick my forms tomorrow.”

On the other hand, Alfred Ekow Gyan, Deputy Western Regional Minister, who is also the MP for Takoradi, would have an uphill task because aside the fact that Big Aidoo is seeking revenge, he has lost touch with the delegates and the grass-roots. Interestingly, The Chronicle can state that the Deputy Minister is in for a shocker as he is likely to face stiff competition from Michael Quarshie, the Constituency Organizer of the party.

Michael, popularly referred to as ‘Public Enemy’, told this reporter that he will be picking his form on September 2, 2015. He said that he was in the race for a real fight with the deputy Minister. “My gun is reloaded and ready to fight. I represent transformational team”.

It is believed that the decision by the Constituency Organizer to contest the deputy Regional Minister who was the party’s candidate in the last election is as a result of grumbling in the party by the foot-soldiers, who are accusing the Minister of deserting them.

The grumbling in the party is reported to have affected the unity in the party, as the deputy Minister is reported not to be on talking terms with his constituency Chairman, Illiasu Abdul-Rahman. In the Ahanta West constituency, the incumbent MP, George Kwame Aboagye, is going to face a stiff competition from Mr. Sam Pee-Yalley, Ghana’s Ambassador to India.

Mr. Yalley lost to the incumbent MP in the last primary by a slim margin of 9 votes.
Since then, the Ambassador has not done anything in the constituency to suggest that he was still interested in vying for the seat, neither has he conferred with the chiefs in the area, when he had his ambassadorial appointment.

Though Mr. Yalley has not come out to declare his interest to contest, a group of former executives of the party in the constituency on Friday picked nomination form on behalf of the Ambassador. A former constituency executive member of the party told this reporter in a telephone interview that “Sam Pee Yalley is contesting the MP and he is the favorite”.

In the Essikado-Ketan constituency, though no nomination has been picked as at the time of filing this story, four candidates are expected to pick the forms to contest the seat. They are; Abbey Hart, Thomas Bismack Brown and two other candidates.

In the Tarkwa Nsuaem constituency, all things being equal, the delegates would drop the incumbent candidate, Mrs. Christina Cobbinah, who is also the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for the Assembly.

Mrs. Christina Cobbinah is loggerheads with the party executives in the constituency, a development which is believed to be tearing the party apart. Consequently, it is obvious the delegates would drop Christina Cobbinah for famous TV and Radio Presenter, Kwame Dzokoto.