Corruption hits NDC

Mr Ameen Salifu, the Wa East District Chief Executive (DCE) in the Upper West Region, has been accused of corruption, callousness and nepotism by National Democratic Congress (NDC) executives and party foot soldiers in the district.
The said accusations made against DCE Ameen Salifu by his party executives come in the wake of what they contend as the DCE’s display of open bias towards them, especially in the award of contracts in the district.

The paper gathered from the Wa NDC party foot soldiers that Mr Salifu has been awarding fat and lucrative contracts and projects to only his blood relations and other external family members and people close to him.

Today learnt that Mr Salifu’s style of running affairs in the district has indeed irked the party executives who believe their party’s electoral success in the district during the 2008 general election was as a result of their tireless efforts.
Sources close to the NDC party executives in the district disclosed to the paper some of the names of Salifu’s family members and cronies who have benefited under the DCE tenure.
These include Lukman Salifu, whom the DCE has awarded a contract at the Chip Compound in Chaggupaani with his wife also given a contract at the School Feeding Programme office in the district; Atow-Rahman Salifu, another relative of the DCE, has been awarded a contract at the Community Centre in Funsi; Mashood Salifu, who supplies tyres to the district also has a contract with the district; and one Razak, has a contract to work at Sawla in the Northern region and his wife placed in charge of the School Feeding Programme at Baalayiri and Munawar Issahaque.
On this allegation, Mr Salifu denied flatly and had this to tell Today: “These allegations are neither here nor there – they are unfounded. My brother in every sector, you would obviously have people who hate you. I am clean, focused and very professional and that is where people have problems with me.
We live in a society where whenever you do the right thing, people begin to have problems with you. They alleged that I have given contracts to my relatives and cohorts.
What kind of contracts are here in Wa? In any case, if contracts indeed existed in this district, it was advertised for people to bid for the contracts and those contracts were awarded to Ghanaians not NDC, NPP or CPP people. Contracts were given to Ghanaians and not along partisan lines.
When we open bidding to award contracts, it follows the due process of law so in this case, if the due process was followed then what is the problem?
The aggrieved NDC party executives further alleged that the Wa East DCE has sold out the recent GETFUND projects to some unknown people who have not, in any way, toiled for the party.
According to them, what makes matters worse is the fact that every time they arrange meetings to address the issue, Mr Salifu who exhibits open and sheer bravado, goes dirty and rants on them all sorts of insults.
“ ‘I am more educated than you; I am better than you in life; I am richer than you; I am more sociable than you; when I hosted and accommodated President John Evans Atta Mills and Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrissu, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice in London during the campaign time where were you people? Nobody can sack me and no one can challenge me. I am not afraid of anyone’ was what the DCE told us when we held a meeting recently to raise concerns about his behaviour”, an NDC party executive in Wa told the paper on strict condition of anonymity.
“We wish to state emphatically that we promise to hit the streets and call for his removal if the Atta Mills government fails to call him to order”, the irate Wa NDC executives threatened.
What is more, the paper was reliably informed that the Wa East DCE took advantage of the recent voter’s register which was opened between 11th to 20th June and registered over ten minors from some nursery and primary schools as valid voters at the Goripie registration centre in Wa in an attempt to help the NDC rig elections in the area come 2012 when Ghanaians will be going to the polls.
Some of the names of the minors he registered, Today gathered, were Salifu Asifa, Mashood Hamad, Salaudeen Suleman, Salifu Abdul Sallam Jnr., among others.
This is what the Wa East DCE had to say on the allegation of electoral malpractice: “I just don’t know where these mischievous and malicious accusations are coming from. As I am speaking to you now, I am sitting down with the Constituency Chairman of NDC over here in Wa Central. I am also expecting other constituency executives. This means that I am opened to everyone. I don’t have any problem with any NDC executive here.
They also said I have registered what … nursery children! So ask yourself since you are a journalist, were there not electoral officers at the registration centres? And do you think that for whatever reason, they will allow me to register those nursery kids. Master, these are some of the things you have to ponder over and realise that these allegations are blatant lies.
As you know, this is a new district that is crawling for development. I have been able to ensure that the roads are put in good shape. There were no schools here. I have been able to construct a senior high school here. There were no pipe-borne water here; I have been able to construct water tanks to supply water. I have been able to tap electricity from Sissala East to Wa East. These are some of the things you people in the media should highlight.
Snakes are biting people left, right and centre here. We have sprayed and sprayed but still the snakes are biting people. These are the things I expect you people in the media to highlight”.