Nii Ashie Moore
The Greater Accra Regional office of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has reportedly been turned into boxing arena by the Regional Chairman, Nii Ashie Moore together with a co-opted member of the party, Nii Okai Laryea who have allegeldy turned the Regional Secretary Theophilus Tetteh Chaie and his Deputy into punching bags to test their strengths, causing the party to be in disarray.
This is as a result of the two secretaries alleged efforts to stop anti party movement by their attackers to circumvent the party rules in favour of their cronies and themselves.
For his inability to stand the assault anymore, Tetteh Chaie has been compelled to petition the National Chairman, Parliamentary caucus among others on the conduct of the chairman which he described as contrary to laydown party procedures which if not addressed immediately will lead to disunity and lack of cohesion and therefore mar the efforts of the party in consolidating the gains made by the Greater Accra Regional NDC in the last elections.
In the petition dated January 11, 2023, a copy of which is in possession of DGN Online, Tetteh Chaie stated that “The Regional Chairman Ashie Moore disregarded my advice not to circumvent the already laydown party guidelines for the Constituency elections in the case of Amasaman. He disregarded the suspension of the former Constituency Chairman (Kofi Zoryiku) by the then General Secretary of the party by reinstating him and including him in the election processes although he had not gone through the election procedures. He also included Mr. Thompson an aspirant who was disqualified per the mandatory disqualification in the guideline and whom a petition had been brought against.”
According to the regional secretary, the Regional Chairman did this with the connivance of Nii Okai Laryea and some of the Regional executives.
“He then tasked me the Regional Secretary Hon. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie to write a letter to the Electoral Commission and the Amasaman Divisional Police informing them of the impending elections and I refused because it was contrary to party election guidelines and procedures. The issue is still pending and I plead that the Chairman and Nii Okai Laryea be stopped from carrying out this illegality,” Hon.Tetteh Chaie mentioned.
He stressed that the Regional Chairman has assigned himself the role of Regional Secretary and wants to run the day to day administrative activities of the party with no regards to the Regional Secretary.
“As a result of that some of the constituencies that were very stable are now having challenges due to his interference in their affairs. He storms into the meetings without recourse to the Regional Secretary and gives directives which are contrary to party rules and regulations and also injurious to party unity and cohesion. As a results of his actions petitions have been brought to the region from the following constituencies (Adentan, Ablekuma West, Ablekuma Central, Odododiodioo) due to his interference without recourse to party structures,” Tetteh Chaie stated.
Touching on the attempt by the Regional Chairman to circumvent the work of the Regional Secretary by creating his own rules and regulations as to how the Secretary should operate, Tetteh Chaie recalled that he “Attempt to authorize the Regional Administrator to be the sole signatory of Party letters, a responsibility assigned to the Regional Secretary.
“Attempt to prevent the Regional Deputy Secretary from writing and keeping minutes. Attempting to change the Party’s organizational Party structure by making the organizer the head of the secretariat,” he added.
Interestingly, the Regional Secretary mentioned that in his resistance to what he termed as ‘unconstitutional ways of doing things,’ at the party’s regional last meeting held on January 10, 2023, Mr Laryea assaulted him when he was exiting the office for lunch in the full glare of some party executives and members who came to transact business.
As that was not enough, he mentioned that the Regional Chairman ordered the security man to lock the main gate thereby preventing the Regional Secretary from exiting perhaps to receive more beatings since “In my attempt to stop him he assaulted me.”
He is therefore calling on the party hierarchy to investigate. “This an anti-party conduct on the part of Hon. Nii Okai Laryea a co-opted member to assault the Regional Secretary for no offense” and culprit brought to book.
Mr Tetteh Chaie also recalled that the Regional Chairman a day before the National Congress assaulted the Deputy Regional Secretary in the full glare of party executives from all the Regions in the hall where party accreditation were being sorted out.
Shockingly, he said his Chairman “He himself has setup a committee to look into the matter.”
Prior to that, the Regional Secretary said the Regional party maiden meeting with the Caucus Members of Parliament (MPs), “he showed an unruly behavior to them, which is contrary to party code of conduct. The same way he led some of the Regional Executives to show disrespect to our Regional Council of Elders. Nii Lantey Vanderpuye, Sam George,Danny Anang can be contacted on this issue.”
Tetteh Chaie has served noticed that the attempt by the Chairman to make his own rules which is contrary to the dictates of the party’s constitution will not be countenanced since it’s contrary to party constitutional provisions.
“Am therefore counting on your good office to ensure that, the issues raised are dealt with expeditiously to avoid the breakdown of law and order in the region,” he called on the top hierarchy.
By Vincent Kubi