NDC guru absconds on $2,500 rent debt

Today Newspaper has established from documents in its possession that Mr. Prosper Tao Tsikata, a staunch NDC member, has absconded on a 2, 500 dollar debt he has accrued following his inability to pay rent charges of a five-bedroom apartment he rented at Agbogba, a suburb of Accra.

Per the tenancy agreement reached between Tao Tsikata and landlord, Mr. James Aidoo, Tsikata was obliged under law to make monthly rental payment of 500 dollars. The agreement between the two parties was devoid of the usual Ghanaian landlord-tenant agreement where the latter often make an advance payment for two, three years or more.

The parties agreed that Tao begun payment of the rent on assumption of his occupancy of the flat as tenant. Although the paper’s search shows that Tao assumed that status in February 2010, within the five months period (February-June 2010) that he occupied the flat he refused to make any payment to the landlord.

What is becoming increasingly bothersome to the landlord, Today discovered, is that Toa has gone into hiding since he left the flat. He either refuses to answer calls of Mr. Aidoo or where he does, he skillfully wards off the landlord with sweet talks. In addition, Tao Tsikata has left behind unpaid electricity bills of GH¢3, 000.

Consequently, this has led to the disconnection of electricity in the house with the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) threatening to send the landlord of the house, Mr. James Aidoo, to court.

Mr. Tsikata who reportedly supported the NDC financially during the 2008 electioneering campaign had been struggling to settle his indebtedness to Mr. Aidoo since his occupancy and subsequent ejection in June.

The crux of the matter was that early this year Mr. Aidoo rented out his five-bedroom facility with house number 144B at Agbogba to Mr. Tsikata. Mr. Tsikata had rented the place for his private security company business.

In view of this, the two entered into a tenancy agreement where Mr. Tsikata agreed to pay a monthly rent charge of $500.

Unfortunately for Mr. Tsikata, his private security business could not come into fruition making it practically difficult for him to settle his rent charges. As of June this year, Mr. Tsikata had accumulated rent arrears of 2,500 dollars.

Despite being hauled to the Rent Control Office several times by his landlord, Mr. Tsikata has not made any attempt to defray part of his debt in the past.

Mr. Tsikata refuses to do so now. He has gone into hiding with his landlord having no inkling of where he is currently residing.

Though it is believed that he sometimes visits his relatives in Accra, even in this case, he does not spend enough time with them, avoiding the possibility of being confronted with his fraud. His cell phones are off.

And even when Mr. Aidoo manages to get him on phone Mr. Tsikata comes up with all kinds of fairy tales.

Mr. Aidoo, who has been residing in abroad for some years now, noted in an interview with Today that though he does not want to embarrass Mr. Tsikata, he (Mr. Tsikata) has left him with no option than to go public with the matter.

Mr. Aidoo has run out of options, unable to contact Mr. Tsikata either via phone or at his home.

He says that he often goes to his hometown in the Volta Region, where he hardly makes himself known to the public. Mr. Tsikata’s underhanded dealings have allegedly not been limited to Mr. Aidoo.

This reporter gathered that several businessmen have also fallen prey to schemes of Mr. Tao Tsikata who was accustomed to using his influence in the NDC to defraud others.

He would imply that he could still use connections that he had accumulated throughout his affiliation with the party to secure benefits in exchange for favours.

It has been implied that, much like in his transactions with Mr. Aidoo, his (Mr. Tsikata’s) promises were often left unfulfilled.

It is unclear why Mr. Tsikata decided to abandon his sizeable debts now, after more than five months.

He has demonstrated a pattern of incurring great debt, then attempting to settle in the past.

While Mr. Tsikata’s debt, according to Mr. Aidoo’s records, on June 2010 stood at $2,500, he had not made any effort to pay a dime.

Attempts by Today to contact Mr. Tsikata for his reaction proved abortive as he had gone incommunicado.