Bolgatanga East Constituency executives of the opposition National Democratic Congress are standing accused of thwarting the effort of Dr. Emmanuel Abeere-inga to lead the party in the area.
The Director for Infrastructure, Land, Environment and Natural Resources at the Northern Development Authority (NDA) has declared his intention to contest the party’s parliamentary primaries in the Bolgatanga East constituency in the Upper East Region.
But speaking to A1 Radio, the civil engineer who is poised to take over the baton from Dr. Dominic Akuretinga Ayine suspects that some constituency executives for the Bolgatanga East are impeding his chances to lead the party towards the next general election.
“I had no intention to engage in radio discussions, I wanted to work on the ground. But I began to feel impediment by the constituency executives. Basically, they intended to muscle me out [of the contest]”, he lamented.
Dr. Abeere-inga could not fathom why the executives whom he considered his junior brothers are doing everything possible not to allow him to contest the party’s parliamentary primaries.
“I have heard some of their reasons, they think that it is not time for me to engage but that is wrong. People are declaring their interest everywhere and Bolga East is no exception. People must be allowed freely to engage and people must be allowed freely to prepare themselves”
Dr. Abeere-inga said he had heard people say to him that these political ‘mafias’ under the NDC in Bolgatanga who have the veto power on every decision of the party there were even mild on him.
“People tell me that I am even a lucky person that the impediments have been minimized. I am sure my junior brothers are even mild to me”
But Azure Isaac Ayelatoe, the constituency chairman for the Bolgatanga East when contacted said Dr. Abeere-inga seems to have shown some level of disrespect towards the constituency executives.
“You came to contest the party’s constituency primaries and you are going around campaigning with branch executives without notifying the constituency executives. How will you do this and then turn around to accuse the constituency executives of working against you? We have never tried to work against him but all that we expected from him was for him to respect the party’s hierarchy”, he stated.
Dr. Abeere-inga said the people of Bolgatanga East constituency expected him 4 years ago to contest the seat “but I gave the opportunity for the MP to go 1 more time but I think that the time is now.
“I have evidence that the MP [Dr. Dominic Akuretinga Ayine] said he wanted to go 3 times. I was thinking that because of our mutual friendship, there was no need to cross each other. I allowed him to go his 3rd term and then, I am hoping that this is now my turn”
He said he has received massive support from the constituents since his intention to contest the Bolgatanga East constituency under the NDC was made known.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Ghana
