The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has issued a stern directive to all Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Western Region to put in their maximum efforts to ensure that Parliamentary Candidates (PC) who contest on the ticket of their respective areas in the upcoming 2016 general elections win, in order to guarantee their continued stay in office.
The directive, according to information available to this paper, seems to have put fear and panic among the MMDCEs, particularly those in areas where it appears impossible for the ruling party to win the parliamentary seat.
Also, in areas where the MMDCEs are at loggerheads with the party’s parliamentary candidates, question have been raised as to how the two could work together to ensure compliance of the order.
For instance, in the Ahanta West Constituency, the sitting DCE-Joseph Dofoyena and his MP-George Kwame Aboagye are not in talking terms, which therefore raised questions and doubt as to how the two could ensure victory, come November.
Information available to this paper indicates that considering the gravity of the directive, those MMDEs who would fail to comply with it, sit aloof and allow the PC contesting on the ticket of the ruling party lose their seats, they (MMDCEs) would as well lose their positions in the event that President Mahama’s term is renewed by the electorate.
What that means is that, the MMDCEs would be booted out of office for the simple reason that they did not work hard enough to ensure that their respective PCs won their seats.
The directive, The Chronicle gathered, was issued by the Western Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Michael Aidoo at a meeting with the MMDCEs in region.
According to the information, the directive was issued to move the MMDCEs to join in the fight to ensure that the ruling party either maintains the current number of their parliamentary seats or increase it.
The Regional Chairmen’s directive comes in the wake of the stiff opposition from his own executive members who are ‘praying’ that the Region loses a lot of its parliamentary seats, to indicate that he is incompetent.
The NDC under the former chairman-Nana Kojo Toku increased its parliamentary seats from 11 to 18, at a time the party was in opposition the feat by the former chairman is what that is hunting Mr. Michael Aidoo, aka Big Aidoo to also do likewise by increasing the number of the parliamentary seats in the region.
This, the paper gathered is the reason why Big Aidoo is determined at all cost to do whatever it takes to at least maintain the current number of parliamentary seats, if he cannot increase it.
The Chronicle can report that directive or not, the NDC is likely to lose the Ahanta West, Shama and Amenfi West parliamentary seats following the level of animosity between the MMDCEs and their parliamentary candidates.
Party insiders believe the Regional Chairman’s directive to the MMDCEs and their PCs. The Regional organizer of the party – Mr. Japheth Baidoo told this reporter in a telephone interview that he did not see anything wrong with the Chairman, tasking MMDCEs to help their parliamentary candidates win their respective seats.
According to Japheth, even though he was unaware of the directive, he believes it is in the right direction. This is because; one of the reasons why the MMDCEs were appointed into office was to promote government business and agenda. Therefore, if they
(MMDCEs) could not do that, then continued stay in office, he asked.
To him, he supports the idea that any MMDCE who fails to help his/her parliamentary candidate to win their seat should be kicked out.
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