NPP Executives Loot Coffers

After failing in their desperations to retain power in last month’s delegates’ congress, the defeated Upper East regional executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have resorted to diabolical means to enrich themselves, even at the time they are out of office.

The failed executives are reported to have unjustifiably looted and emptied the whole NPP accounts at the National Investment Bank (NIB), to the tune of twenty-five thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢25,000), without the consent of the newly-elected regional executives.

The old executives have also refused, ever since, to surrender all party vehicles in their possessions, and are allegedly using them for their private businesses.

The Chronicle newspaper has gathered that some of the executives, who were assigned vehicles during their reign, have refused to return them to the party, claiming that they (the vehicles) were given to them as personal properties.

This act of irresponsibility, according to our information, has triggered serious controversy between the new and the old executives of the NPP in the Upper East Region. Even though several attempts had been made by the current executives, led by the former Member of Parliament (MP) for Builsa North and former Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Agnes Asangalisa Chigabatia, to resolve the issue, the old executives however have refused to smoke the peace pipe.

Some of the old NPP executives accused of keeping party vehicles, include the former Regional Organiser, Mahammoud Mahama, with a TATA pickup with registration number GE 1307 V, the first Vice Chairman, Kizito, with TATA pickup number AS 4311 T, and the former Regional Secretary, Godfred Koyiba, still having in his possession, an Isuzu pickup with registration GW 1848 T. The others are the former Upper East Regional Minister, Boniface Gambilla, with a JMC number GE 6908 W, and the former Regional Chairman, Tahiru Issahaku Ahmed, who has in his possession a JMC pickup number GE 2159Z, and Nissan Hard Body GN 4120 Y.

At the moment the NPP Regional Secretariat in the Upper East has only one JMC pickup with registration GN 6032 Z, but it is in a very bad state. In an interview with The Chronicle, the immediate past Regional Chairman of the NPP, Mr. Tahiru Issahaku Ahmed, who is also a signatory to the party’s account, admitted that monies were withdrawn from the bank after they lost power, but indicated that the funds were not pocketed, as claimed by the new executives.

He explained that the monies which accrued from the filing fees of aspirants were used to cover expenses incurred throughout the organisation of the Regional Congress.

Mr. Tahiru further explained that signatories to the account had not changed soon after the new executives took office, emphasizing that it was his duty to get them money to enable them make their maiden trip to Accra.

He also ruled out having party property in his possession, saying he was waiting to see what would be the outcome of the 48-hour ultimatum the new executives had issued, expressing dismay at the manner in which they were dealing with matters of the party.

Mr. Tahiru promised to respond appropriately to the new executives, but warned that their mode of dealing with internal issues of the party was likely to derail its fortunes in the build up to the 2012 elections. “As far as I am concerned, I am clean and hold no party property.” The former Regional Organiser, Mahammoud Mahama, also denied the claim that he was using the party’s vehicle.

He said the pickup in his possession was given to him, after the one he was using some time ago as an organiser, was seized from him by some national party executives, who suspected him of belonging to the camp of their opponent in the last National Congress.

Mr. Mahama however distanced himself from the looting incident, claiming he was not a spending officer. On the other hand, the former Treasurer, Mr. Edward Nchor, declined to comment on the matter, but insisted that he was not accountable to the press.

Meanwhile, the NPP in the Upper East Region has been disintegrated since the 2008 electioneering campaign, and still remains so. Even though it was able to increase its number of parliamentary seats from two to four in 2008, the NPP’s performance was still described as abysmal. The then leaders were blamed for this poor show.

Source: The Chronicle