According to Citi News’ Tema Correspondent, Elvis Washington, he was locked up together with all the party executives on the instructions of Mr. Sam George as some heavily built men believed to be land guards threatened to beat them up.

Elvis Washington said the party officials and branch executives were in the house of the MP because some re-registration booklets that were to be handed over to the constituency executives from the national headquarters, had been allegedly diverted to the MP’s house, a situation that did not go down well with the branch executives who stormed the house to demand explanations.

According to Washington, he together with the branch executives were initially prevented from entering the premises, just when Madam Sherry Ayittey arrived with a team to deliver the booklets.

However, the delivery was halted after the branch executives protested against it.

At this point, the former Minister categorically stated that she was unable to deliver the books due to the confusion, and would thus take them back to the national headquarters.

Washington said the Member of Parliament then called the former Minister and other party executives into a meeting for about an hour in his house.

He said after the meeting, the branch executives were called into the house, where he also joined.

“As soon as we entered, there were these land guards who locked up the gate behind us. Honourable Sam George was having issues with the Greater Accra Regional Secretary, Victor Quarshie, and they were arguing seriously and the man was raising his voice saying that Sam George had attacked his personality, suggesting that he was nobody but for politics they are colleagues. And information I picked from the ground was that, Mr. Sam George asked Mr. Quarshie to come and address the people, insisting that the branch executives were not invited to that meeting.”

This back and forth over whether or not the branch executives should be part of the meeting, escalated the confusion between the two men, and Mr. Quarshie opted to leave the house.

“So Mr. Quarshie said he was not going to tell the people any lies but the truth. So Mr. Quarshie opted to leave the house and we all decided to follow him because we sensed danger. When he got to the gate, upon the instructions of Mr. Sam George, they [Land guards] said they will not allow us to leave. So we were all in there begging and there are sound bites I have to that effect. We pleaded with the land guards but they said they will not allow us unless Sam George instructs them to do so” Elvis narrated.

At this point however, the former Minister Sherry Ayitey, was outside the house.

Sam George even ignored the police

Elvis Washington added that, when the police was called into to calm the situation and rescue them from the house, they were eventually disregarded by the MP.

“The police then came in and spoke to the MP. But according to the police, Mr. Sam George damned them. In one of the sound clips, I was even begging the police to help us out of the house but they didn’t. The Land guards only allowed the police to leave and locked us again, and then we begged repeatedly before the MP finally allowed us to leave the premises” Washington added.

Sam George denies the narration

When the MP, Sam George was called on Eyewitness News, he blatantly denied any such incident saying he was not available in the house and could not confirm such an incident.

When he was reminded that Citi News’ Correspondent had evidence of his presence in the house, Mr. Sam George said he was unaware, and that the journalist would have been trespassing if indeed he was in his house.

In what appears to be a clear contradiction, Sam George later said he only had a meeting with some party executives on internal party matters that he could not divulge.

Victor Quarshie exposes Sam George’s ‘lies’

When the party’s Greater Accra Regional Secretary, Victor Quarshie, who he had the altercation with at his residence was called on Eyewitness News, he confirmed Elvis Washington’s narration of events, saying the MP was not being truthful.

Mr. Quarshie said he was only forced to speak to the issue due to the MP’s blatant denial. He also said the incident was embarrassing, as he criticized Mr. Sam George’s arrogant posture towards party executives in times past.

It will be recalled that, Mr. Sam George’s election at the NDC’s primaries that saw him defeat long-serving MP E.T. Mensah prior to the 2016 election, was an acrimonious process that ended in fisticuffs among their followers.

He has often been accused by his political opponents of being arrogant and violent, but he has often denied these tags.

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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Sam George locks up NDC executives in his home appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

As part of this, the leadership of the NDC Greater Accra Caucus thus visited the Ningo Prampram constituency to interact with branch executives.

The event, which started on a very good note, at a point turned chaotic as some branch executives were unhappy with the removal and replacement of their names from the main register by some constituency executives.

According to the aggrieved executives, their names were replaced by their MP, Sam George, and some constituency executives as part of efforts to field their favourite candidates.

“How come the names of the incumbent branch executives have to be deleted from the register when our tenure of office has not ended?” One unhappy executive questioned.

The Mobole branch communications officer, Oko Mensah in a very angry mood accused the MP of creating his favourite campaign team ahead of the elections thereby creating division and confusion.

“Going into the 2016 elections, we realized the parliamentary candidate whom the onus lies on as the front-runner of the party created his own parallel campaign team ahead of the elections. He used his own campaign guys ahead of the primaries to work in the main elections thereby creating confusion in the constituency. Sam George invited me to a hotel around Dawhenya and requested me to work with him as an individual because of my personal capabilities which I declined and asked him to do the right thing by inviting the entire branch executives so we work for the good of the party, but not in our individual capabilities. This didn’t go down well with him and as such, he has refused to work with me,” he noted.

Mr. Mensah noted that, the Member of Parliament for the area, Sam George, lacks the ability to unify the party in the constituency, and the earlier he works with the party members as a team rather than towing individual lines, the better for the future of the party.

“You will be there and before you realize, there is another party member who does not occupy any party position in the constituency taking front-line position and working for the party without prior notice to you. This makes working with the MP very difficult because he does not respect party structures.”

The branch secretary for Akpakope, madam Bernice, also accused the Member of Parliament for not taking the initiative to unify the party and is rather engaged in divide and rule tactics in the constituency.

“I came here as a branch executive for Akpakpe, yet another comrade is also here occupying the same position from my branch which is highly unacceptable.”

The situation of the alleged removal and replacement of names of branch executives at some areas became quite serious to the extent that some of the party executives whose names were removed had a personal confrontation with the constituency executives thereby almost bringing the well attended programme to a halt.

However, in reaction to the numerous allegations raised, the Member of Parliament for the constituency, Sam Dzata George, noted that the allegations are untrue, and that rather, the party has decided to reward loyalty, dedication and hard work in the constituency.

“The issues raised are no new issues, but are natural ones which are bound to occur. During the last elections, some neutral party persons in the constituency worked so hard for the victory of the party. By their hard work the party won 86 polling stations out of 93 in the constituency. This is quite significant as a party. We have not replaced branch executives, and as a leader of the party in the constituency, I shall reward loyalty and hard work to ensure the NDC secures enough vote for the party in the coming elections in 2020.”

The executives have however vowed to resist any attempt by the party leadership at both the constituency level and at the national level, to impose on them any candidate ahead of the branch reorganization.

Other members of Parliament from other constituencies in the Greater Accra region also urged the party members to ensure their grievances are channeled through the right quarters for redress.

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By: Elvis Washinton/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Ningo Prampram NDC branch executives unhappy with Sam George appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The constituency executives of the party are seeking to talk the former minister out of the contest.

[contextly_sidebar id=”L4gdRTKpQMonMYgdKk0QdiH1czsHAO99″]The party in the constituency said it is shocked that its onetime long-serving MP is vying for membership of the yet to be constituted Council of State in an NPP government.

According to them, his decision is a betrayal of the NDC, and may send wrong signals to the party’s grassroots members.

The constituency secretary for the NDC, Cephas Teye, told Citi News, “We are yet to convene a meeting to discuss that issue. The first time I heard it, I was shocked the old man [ET Mensah] can go that far. For somebody who has been a minister for so many years and when there is a change in government you go and join the other government, to be a member of the council for that government is something else.”

“I called the chairman and told him about what I’ve heard. We are yet to meet and discuss how we will go about that decision; it’s either we go to him or see what else to do.”

“Majority of our people don’t understand that it is non-partisan, so as soon as they see him during a different government regime, they will be thinking that he has gone to join them [NPP].”

The Council of State consists of one representative from each region of Ghana, elected in accordance with regulations made by the EC under article 51 of Ghana’s constitution, by an electoral college comprising two representatives from each of the districts in the region, nominated by the District Assemblies in the region, and eleven other members appointed by the President.

Mr. Mensah had served in Ghana’s legislature for two decades till he was defeated in the 2015 National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries by his protege Sam George, who subsequently won the parliamentary election.

Will E.T. Mensah join the NPP?

It is not clear whether by this decision, Mr. E.T. Mensah may be contemplating breaking away from the NDC.

Ordinarily, council of state members in any government are people who have some form of leanings towards the party in power. It is thus unclear how  Mr. E.T. Mensah can emerge victorious in such an election to be one of the advisers for a President who contested and won on the ticket the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Mr. E.T. Mensah’s time in politics dates back to 1992, when he was appointed Minister for Youth and Sports by President Jerry Rawlings. He later stood for the 1996 parliamentary elections and was elected MP for the Ningo-Prampram constituency where he served for over two decades.

He has also served in government as Minister for Employment and Social Welfare in 2010, and the Minister for Education in 2012.

The Council of State election is slated for Thursday, February 16, 2017.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Ningo-Prampram NDC angry over E.T Mensah’s council of state bid appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.