Mills Faces Massive Demo

PRESIDENT JOHN Atta Mills� four-day working visit to the Western Region may be in jeopardy when he gets to Bekwai, as information DAILY GUIDE has gathered indicates that some footsoldiers of the ruling NDC in the Bibiani-Anwiaso-Bekwai District of the Western Region are gearing up for a massive demonstration against him and his entourage. President Mills, DAILY GUIDE learnt, will be in the Western region for a four-day working visit, starting from tomorrow, Tuesday, May 17, and might go to the Bibiani district the next day, Wednesday, May 18, 2011. According to the aggrieved NDC footsoldiers, their intended action was a way of registering their protest against an alleged subtle attempt by the regional executives of the party to purportedly prevent Jacob Oware, a native of Homgyebre in the area, from becoming the District�s Chief Executive (DCE). Mr. Oware, according to sources within the Bibiani NDC, was the popular choice of the foot-soldiers while the regional executives were said to be rooting for one Adanse Bonah, an activist of the NDC in the area who had been nominated by the President for the position of DCE in the area. The NDC footsoldiers in Bibiani, DAILY GUIDE learnt, have declared that they would not be able to work with Bonah and that they would carry placards and demonstrate for the president to change him. Jerry Kankam Darkwa, constituency chairman of the NDC in the Bibiani-Ahwiaso-Bekwai constituency, in an interview with DAILY GUIDE confirmed the story and explained that when Kofi Armah, the former DCE for the area, was removed recently by the president, the regional executives of the party held a meeting with the constituency executives. He said at the meeting, the regional executives, led by the chairman, Nana Toku, asked the constituency executives to nominate someone within the party for onward submission to the president, for the post of DCE for the district. Mr. Darkwa said after some consultations, the constituency executives of the party, with one accord, mentioned Oware as the best person for the post. He said after some time, the regional executives of the NDC held another meeting with the constituency executives, during which the regional executives, including Joe Rex Cobbinah, secretary and Kaku Korsah, organizer, told the Bibiani NDC executives that they needed to nominate more than one person for consideration. The Bibiani constituency chairman added that the constituency executives insisted that they would not nominate any additional person and that Oware was the one who should be given the post. He continued that the stance which was taken by the constituency executives led to some kind of fracas at the meeting so it ended abruptly. He pointed out that the party�s footsoldiers were therefore surprised to hear that the president had nominated Adanse Bonah as the new DCE to replace Kofi Armah. �We have therefore decided to organize the demonstration and if possible disrupt the whole programme when the president arrives in Bekwai, because if Mills says he is a listening president, then he should listen to us,� he lamented. When contacted, the Regional Secretary of the NDC, Joe Rex Cobbinah, confirmed the meetings with the constituency executives but stressed that even though someone�s name was mentioned by the constituency executives, it was the sole prerogative of the president to choose whoever he deemed fit for the position.