E.T. Mensah�s Backyard Boils

The Ningo-Prampram constituency of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is boiling as party members and delegates have accused the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr. Enoch Teye Mensah, of sabotaging prospective candidates who want to contest him at parliamentary primaries. They claim that E.T. Mensah has continuously and persistently used the powers that be in the Party to coerce and suppress candidates who want to contest him at primaries to step down for him to go unopposed. They said the suspension of the constituency secretary, Michael Kwetey Tetteh, for allegations of misconduct, is a clear testimony of the MPs pull-him-down attitude to stifle him from contesting him when nominations open for sitting constituencies. They are therefore calling a reversal of the decision by the disciplinary committee to suspend the constituency secretary, indicating that within two weeks of any action from the party hierarchy they will take to the streets and demonstrate. At a press conference held at New Ningo on Tuesday, this week, a constituency branch executive, Mr. Fredrick Agbo, challenged Mr. E.T. Mensah, that �if he thinks he is the best parliamentary candidate or he is popular, then he should allow people to contest him. Nobody and to repeat nobody is against Hon. E.T. Mensah even if he goes hundred times but what we are calling for is democracy, he should give people the chance to contest him at the primaries.� He cited an instance where the MP connived with the party chairman, Nii Teye Appeynarh, and other executives to form a disciplinary committee to suspend the constituency secretary, Mr. Michael Kwetey Tetteh, for five months starting from the 1st October, thereby denying him from contesting the primaries. According to him, they accused Michael Kwetey Tetteh of illegally campaigning as a parliamentary candidate for the 2012 elections, illegally raising funds within the constituency, passing on of confidential party information to the opposition party, inability to take minutes at meetings and arrogance towards the sitting MP. Mr. Agbo noted that all the allegations are unfounded and is �simply because he is seen to be a competent candidate who might contest when nominations for constituencies with sitting MPs are opened.��The intention is to tarnish the image of the young, energetic and hardworking constituency secretary before nominations are opened so that he goes unopposed as he usually does to whoever that appears to contest him. These, the youth wing of the constituency see to be a threat to the Party because election 2012 is just around the corner,� he stated. Mr. Agbo said the MP masterminded the same acts in the 2000, 2004, and 2008 elections to deny the prospective candidates, to go unopposed. He said in 2000, the MP forced one Madam Sarah Addo to step down for him to go unopposed in the year 2000, that made her to join the Reform Party and now she is NPP. �Is it not true that Hon. E.T. Mensah did say in 2004 that he is not contesting again and gave the then constituency secretary, Mr. Nortey, the chance to go, but what happened? He finally surfaced again and suppressed the man and went unopposed. And as we speak right now Mr. Nortey is strongly with the NPP, is it not true that in 2008 Mr. Christopher Zutah a strong ranking member was asked to step down for E.T. Mensah to go unopposed during the primaries and because of that he went as an independent candidate?.� From the foregoing, he said it is clear that the constituency is gradually becoming a one-man-pocket party, a fertile ground for dictatorship, monopoly and autocracy, a recipe for despondency and apathy which is very dangerous for the future of the party. He said the attitude is dangerous and uncalled for since it has the potential and tendency to affect party unity, cohesion and tranquility in the constituency. He therefore stated that all that they are calling for is a reversal of the decision by the disciplinary committee, indicating that within two weeks of any action from the party hierarchy they the disgruntled members would take to the streets and demonstrate.