Subin NPP Boils As MP, Constituency Chairman Trade Hostilities

By FSebastian R. Freiku

Tension is simmering within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Subin Constituency in Kumasi, following warfare between the Member of Parliament (MP), Eugene Boakye Antwi, and some constituency executives on one side, and the Constituency Chairman, Francis Kwabena Buamah, and majority of the executives on the other.

As a result, a huge crack has appeared in the leadership with the emergence of three factions.

While one faction is reported to have aligned itself with the camp of Eugene Boakye Antwi, another faction is said to be on the side of the Constituency Chairman, with yet an alleged third group in the camp of the former MP, Isaac Osei.

Last Friday, the ensuing hostilities culminated in the near disruption of the annual Subin Constituency Delegates Conference, during which some delegates threw punches and cast insinuations, with the MP refusing to shake hands with the Chairman, who was sidelined in the organisation of the congress.

Chairman Buamah was not invited, and, therefore, had no role to play at the congress, except that he decided to be there as a concerned observer.

It all started when well-built men, known as "machomen", prevented Chairman Buamah from entering the premises of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) Hall, where the event took place.

While some delegates accuse the MP, Eugene Boakye Antwi, who is also a Deputy Minister for Works and Housing, of attempting to disintegrate the party in the constituency, the MP has blamed former MP Isaac Osei for undermining his authority as a Member of Parliament by holding secret meetings with some delegates from the nine electoral areas of the constituency.

Some delegates from the Chairman's faction claim the MP has been unceasingly tormenting, harassing and intimidating Subin NPP officials and executives.

The MP has attributed the current confusion in the Subin NPP to the lackadaisical attitude of the party in solving the grievances of some party members, as no action has been taken by the party to resolve the impasse.

But The Chronicle can authoritatively report that there is more to the infighting than meets the ordinary eyes of the delegates, some of whose names have been expunged from the electoral register, also known as Delegates Photo Album.

Julius Thomas Agyekum, a Secretary of Ward 7 polling station, has filed a suit against the party, with the national, regional and Chairman Buamah as the co-defenders.

The suit is questioning the validity of the photo album of the delegates, and the eligibility of Mr. Godfrey Mensah Junior as Chairman of the Council of Elders, who headed the Constituency Election Committee, which supervised the constituency primary that elected Eugene Boakye Antwi as MP.

Mr. Buamah, per his lawyer, has entered appearance by filing his defence, seeking a declaration that the primary, which elected Boakye Antwi as the MP, is null and void, since Mr. Godfrey Mensah's position is in doubt.

The Chronicle can also report that the feud between the MP and the Constituency Chairman is over the non-payment of GH¢4,200 by the party, which amount was expended by the Chairman on the conduct of the constituency primary, when the party had not released funds for the exercise.

A bank statement of the Subin NPP Constituency from the Adum branch of the Agricultural Development Bank sighted by The Chronicle, indicated that GH¢10,000 from the party headquarters for the primary had been withdrawn without the knowledge of the Constituency Chairman, who is also a signatory to the account.

On July 28, 2015, Ms Angelina Frimpong, Constituency Treasurer, withdrew GH¢6,560, while Akuamoah Boateng withdrew the remaining GH¢3,500 on February 24, 2016, without the Chairman's consent. Both drawees are in the camp of the MP.

Meanwhile, Eugene Boakye Antwi has assured the delegates of his determination to continue to work tirelessly with all the executives of the party in Subin Constituency.

He assured the delegates that: "Subin is one constituency; before me, it was one, and after me, it will be one."

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