The Vice presidential candidate of the New
patriotic party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, avoided a scheme by some
elements in the ruling National Democratic congress (NDC) to embarrass
him during his visit to the Volta region last week.
Dr Bawumia was scheduled to hold some meetings in the region last
Friday but decided to reschedule them after the NPP picked credible
information about a plot by some members of the NDC to disrupt the event
in retaliation of the humiliation suffered by two deputy ministers in
Kumasi last week.
Five government appointees, including deputy minister of education,
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and deputy minister of communications, Felix
Kwakye Ofosu, were hooted at by students of colleges of Education in the
Ashanti region over the withdrawal of their allowances, accusing the
government officials of using the money to buy luxury vehicles which the
students termed ‘allawa cars.’
Dr Bawumia was supposed to meet executives of his party in selected
constituencies in the Volta region, appear on some selected radio
stations and later address students of the Akatsi college of Education
and ho polytechnic.
The programme for Akatsi was scheduled for 2pm while that for the Ho polytechnic was expected to come off at 5.30 pm.
But regional chairman of the NPP, John peter Amewu, said they picked
intelligence earlier in the day suggesting that the NDC was planning to
disrupt the programmes, especially Dr Bawumia’s planned meeting with
students of the Akatsi college of Education and Ho polytechnic, through
the foot soldiers.
This has also confirmed by police sources in the region.
After various confirmations regarding the plot, and after meetings with
security persons in the region, coupled with contacts with the heads of
the two institutions, the NPP Regional executives therefore devised a
smart way of averting the planned attack and expose the plot for the
whole world to know.
Considering the enormity of the confirmations, the NPP gurus were said
to have decided to postpone the programmes and Dr. Bawumia made not to
appear on either of the two campuses.
Dr. Bawumia was therefore made to appear on two local radio stations in
Ho - Kekeli Fm and Volta premier - as originally scheduled, which
incidentally is on the campus of ho polytechnic.
From Volta premier, Dr. Bawumia was expected to move to the Akatsi
college of Education to address the students there before returning to
Ho in the evening to address students of the ho polytechnic.
It was at this stage that the plan by the regional executives to thwart
the attack and at the same time expose it, was set in motion.
Instead of heading to Akatsi, Dr. Bawumia was said to have been made to
return to Accra with his team, while the regional executives headed for
Akatsi - something which deceived the plotters to think that Dr.
Bawumia was indeed coming there.
While the executives were in a meeting with teachers of the Akatsi
College of Education, the NDC foot soldiers arrived at the campus with
placards to act their prepared script (cause confusion), thinking Dr
Bawumia was also there.
However, students of the college who realised what was about to happen,
mobilized and engaged in a fierce battle with the hooligans, some of
who were said to have pulled out knives and sticks but were eventually
overpowered and driven out of the school by the students.
The NPP regional executives after meeting the students and explaining
why the programme had to be rescheduled, then left Akatsi and proceeded
to Ho.
However, the NDC foot soldiers, who were still oblivious of the fact
that Dr. Bawumia had long reached Accra and still believed he was part
of the team that went to Akatsi, started flying pictures of the supposed
demonstration against Dr. Bawumia on social media.
Thinking that he was among the team to Ho, the NDC elements behind the
plot were said to have rolled out the Ho version of the plot.
This time round, hired ‘machomen’ were allegedly dispatched to the Ho Polytechnic campus to cause similar chaos.
However, because the regional CID in the morning had picked up signals
of the plot, these assailants were confronted by the police who had
dispatched dozens of their men to the campus.
The police were said to have managed to drive the NDC hoodlums away but
refused to arrest them since they were not permitted to demonstrate.
The executives of the NPP have since described the plot as unfortunate and despicable.
A pro-NPP group, ‘operation 40% for NPP in Volta Region,’ also issued a
statement over the weekend condemning the plot and likening it to the
xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
The group was at a loss as to how elements in of the NDC could actually
plot to maim Nana Akufo-Addo’s running mate, noting that if the plot
had been carried out successfully, it would have led to uncontrollable
tension which could have sparked chaos countrywide.
The group, in the statement, thanked God for his intervention in
averting the plot and called on the regional house of chiefs to call the
NDC to order since such acts could end up tarnishing the image of the
region.
It also called on the security agencies to get to the bottom of the matter.
