DON'T BE BLACKMAILED INTO AGREEING TO DEMANDS...Urges Youth Wing of NDC (PAGE 13, MAY 25, 2010)

THE Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Ashanti Region has asked government appointees, particularly Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs), in the region not to allow themselves to be blackmailed into agreeing to the demands of any person or group of persons carrying themselves as members of the youth wing.
According to the youth wing, it had uncovered a plan by a group of party members masquerading as members of the youth wing to blackmail MMDCEs.
“They have succeeded in using it against some DCEs and recently, tried it unsuccessfully on the Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Sarpong,” the Regional Youth Organiser, Mr Kwaku Boahen, told the Daily Graphic in Kumasi at the weekend.
Mr Boahen said the modus operandi of the group, numbering about four, was to go to a government appointee, demand money to either avoid exposing the person for some negative acts, or prevent party members from demonstrating against him or her.
He said immediately the appointee honoured the group’s demands, they would go and sit on radio to shower praises on the person.
Mr Boahen said the group is allegedly made up of some people who had been defending the party on radio in Kumasi.
“ I have warned them to desist from the act or I will expose them,” the youth organiser said.
He indicated that the practice was sowing seeds of confusion in the party and also casting a bad image for the party.
Mr Boahen said at a time that the NDC was making inroads in the region, the youth wing would not sit down for any party member to reverse the progress made.
Last week, a group of party members at Ejisu staged a demonstration calling for the removal of the DCE, Mr Mohammed Boakye Agyeman.
There is also tension in the party at Offinso where a group of members are threatening to stage a demonstration against the Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Amponsah.
In Kumasi, a group of party people had started a campaign to get the MCE, Mr Sarpong, out of office.
Surprisingly, this comes at the time when Mr Sarpong’s performance had been described across the political divide as one of the best in the history of the metropolis.