Confusion hits Shama NPP over school feeding, pre-mix fuel

Calculated moves by some executives of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Shama constituency of Western Region to take over the local school feeding programme and pre-mix fuel allocation, following the election of Samuel Erickson Abakah as Member of Parliament, has sparked confusion in the area.

The executives, said to be loyalists of the new MP, according to reports, believe it is their turn to also ‘enjoy’ after what they call ‘four years of starvation’.

This is as a result of the factionalism in the party in the area, which gave supporters of Dr Ato Panford, the former MP for the area, control over affairs for the past four years.

Time to eat?

According to the loyalists of the new MP, after working tirelessly for their candidate’s victory, the tables have now turned and so they also have to take over.

Speaking to the Daily Statesman, some of the supporters justified their action by saying ‘monkey no go work, for baboon to chop’.

They accused the former MP of setting the winner-takes-all agenda, adding that they would therefore not sit aloof to suffer when their preferred choice is also at the helm of affairs.

“What is good for the goose, is equally good for the gander,” they said.

Reports indicate that no sooner had Mr Abakah been officially sworn into Parliament than some of his loyalists back home started putting their agenda into motion, by besieging the premix fuel office.

Their action is said to have deepened the rift in the party, with exchange of verbal and physical assaults becoming order of the day.

Call for intervention

Some members of the party have called on the regional chairman, Francis Ndede Siah, to intervene before the situation gets out of hand.

There are allegations that the Panford faction, sensing that their control would be over following the defeat of their candidate in the NPP primaries in June last year, adopted all sorts of strategies, including campaign for “skirt and blouse” against then candidate Abakah. However, following the election of Mr Abakah, despite all the machinations against him, his supporters are now ready to take over affairs from members of the Panford faction who have been controlling affairs in the area.