A visit to the Western Region recently by the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, has blown the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) apart.
Whilst the Regional Chairman, Micheal Aidoo, is seething with anger that he was left in the dark about the visit and despite the fact that the First Lady me to do politics in the region, the Regional Administration has remained mute over the issue.
It is the contention of Chairman Aidoo that the Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, was trying to undermine his administration and this is not the first time it has happened.
Sources within the party told The Chronicle that when both Ministers of Petroleum and Local Government and Rural Development visited the region quite recently, the regional chairman was not informed, as it has been the practice in the past.
Some of the followers of the party told The Chronicle that if the supposed rift between the chairman and Paul Evans Aidoo was not addressed, it would badly affect the performance of the party in the 2016 elections.
The rift between the two combatants began when the regional minister reportedly supported a candidate against the regional chairman, which the latter eventually won.
Four months ago, a National Vice Chairman, Mr. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, in the company of two other national executives arrived in the region to broker peace between the Regional Minister’s faction in the newly elected executives and that of the Regional Chairman.
The peace deal, brokered by the national executives has, however, been breached with the test development in the party.
“How do you expect the regional Minister, who is not on talking terms with the regional Chairman to communicate politically related information to him,” a source asked this reporter.
The source continued: “There are some people within the regional executives who wish that Big Aidoo falls, but they should remember that when he falls, it is together with the NDC,” the source added.
The regional Minister and the regional Chairman of the party are both natives of Sefwi, yet they are at loggerheads. It is believed that the rift between the two, which heightened as a result of the regional Chairman’s move to get the Minister booted out of office, because the latter worked against him during the last regional executive elections.
The Regional Communication Officer, Mr. Phamous Tumi-Acquah, who belongs to the camp of the regional Chairman, decided not to speak to The Chronicle on the issue, when this reporter reached him on the phone.
However, when this reporter asked him whether he was aware of the First Lady’s visit to the region, Phamous Tumi-Acquah answered in the negative, saying he was surprised the First lady me to the region, yet he did not know as Communication Officer of the party.
However, the Deputy Regional Communication Officer, Mr. Kirk Mensah, according to information, knew of the first lady’s visit and kept the information from his boss. Political insiders believe the keeping of information from executives in the camp of the regional Chairman was a deliberate one.
Meanwhile, the regional Vice Chairman of the party, Alhaji Fuseini Mahama has told The Chronicle that the regional Minister was duty bound to inform the regional Chairman of the politically related activities which had to do with Ministers who visit the region.
According to him, when the Minister informs the Regional Chairman, the latter would then forward the informational to all regional executives. “Do you think if I go to a political programme as Vice Chairman, without the knowledge of the Regional Chairman, do you think he will take it kindly,” he asked.
However, it is not on all occasions that the Minister would have to inform the Chairman of the visit by Ministers if it had nothing to do with politics.
Alhaji Mahama, in a question posed to him by this reporter, admitted that the First lady’s visit had everything to do with politics.
However, he could not tell whether the Regional Chairman was informed by the Minister.
Source: The Chronicle
