SEVEN out of the 10 constituency executive members of the Tema West Constituency of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) are alleging they are living in constant fear, following acts of intimidations being employed by the Member of Parliament for the area, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo and her followers.
Addressing a press conference to register their protest, Dr Martin Kwasi Antwi, second vice Chairman of the constituency accused the MP, constituency chairman Mr Paul Azure Sampana, as well the Greater Accra Regional secretary of the NPP, Mr Albert Afaglo for breaching the modalities outlining the election of polling station executive as part of reforms adopted at the party’s recent delegates congress to widen its electoral college.
The press statement which was signed by the constituency secretary Mr Henry Osei-Owusu, alleged that after two unsuccessful attempts to validate and supervise the election of polling station executive of which the chairman and the MP boycotted, the regional executive conspired with the chairman and the MP to conduct the polling station election with some armed policemen and macho men which was contrary to the party's constitution.
Dr Antwi who was flanked by seven of the 10 member executive of the constituency, indicated the modalities for the elections were breached by the MP.
They also accused her of employing the services macho men and armed policemen to intimidate them to submit to her requests of selecting people across the 81 polling stations in the constituency, rather than electing as mandated by the reforms adopted at the national levels.
The executive called on Mr Afaglo, who they accused of conniving with a former Greater Accra Regional secretary of the party, Mr Ben Brown, who was delegated by the regional executive to help organise the elections to take steps to reverse illegality. This election saw both the MP and the chairman boycotting proceedings.
Ms Addo according to the executives was also following tribal lines by handpicking Gas as polling station executive thereby sidelining non Ga speaking people.
The constituency executive are therefore, calling on the national and regional executive of the party to call the MP and her allies to order to avert division among members within the constituency before members decide to embark on a mass defection to reduce the party's fortunes of retaining the seat in the 2012 general election.
The MP, Ms Addo when contacted on phone, refused to comment on the allegations levelled against her.
A counter press conference held by her supporters and addressed by the constituency chairman, Mr Paul Sampana, accused opposing factions of inflaming passions by running to the press to attract public attention.
He indicated his group followed the laid down modalities spelt out by the general secretary of the Party, and addressed to all constituency and regional offices nationwide.
He also denied the allegation that the MP was using macho men to intimidate the aggrieved faction into submitting to her request.
Mr Sampana noted that no one had selected anybody to the positions of the polling station executive; rather elections were conducted legitimately in the presence of some national and regional executive.
He therefore, called on Mr Osei-Owusu and his faction to desist from parading themselves as members and executive of the constituency.
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