Sparks flew on Tuesday when two ‘sponsored’ splintered youth groups of the ruling National Democratic Congress in Tamale clashed over the appointment of the Northern Regional Coordinator of Youth Employment Agency (YEA).
The groups, the Gbewaa Youth and the Bukurusung Youth, have each taken strong entrenched positions supporting certain individuals who were being considered by authorities to head the agency.
Earlier this month, it was rumored that the deputy coordinator Abdul Momin was penciled to head the agency but that did not materialize. This angered the Gbewaa youth who support Momin accusing the NDC regional chairman, Chief Sofo Azorka of sabotaging Mr. Momin’s efforts to lead the YEA.
They alleged that, their party chairman threatened the chief of staff to drop their favored individual. Abdul Kudus Mbinwaya, the deputy secretary of Gbewaa Youth warned the party chairman to be cautious about some of his actions. He accused him of incompetence which led to the NDC abysmal performance in the 2012 parliamentary elections when it lost a staggering 12 seats.
However, the Bukurusung Youth mounted a strongly defense of Chief Azorka while supporting the president’s decision to appoint Iddrisu Tanko Rashid as the YEA regional coordinator.
The secretary of Bukuru-Sung youth, Abdulai Yakubu who laid out their position to the media stated that they were gunning for Mr.Rashid who was until his appointment was the NDC regional treasurer and director of election.
They pointed to Mr. Tanko’s 20 years’ party experience in the northern region branch of the NDC and his work as a regional director of National Health Insurance Scheme where he created various positions ranging from assistants to claims officers, public relations officers, accountants, data entry clerks and MIS officers in all 19 schemes in the region.
The YEA coordinator designate officially resigned as NHIA boss when he was transferred to the headquarters in Accra but he said he could not effectively handle both jobs as a director of elections and treasurer of the NDC.
The Bukurusung youth is therefore urging other youth groups in the region to learn how the party is run and stop making ugly noise. On Azorka threatening the chief of staff to reject Mr Mumin’s appointment, the Bukurusung youth dismissed the accusations as baseless and without any foundation.
They also touted chairman Azorka’s hard work in increasing President Mahama’s votes substantially in the 2012 elections. ‘‘We want to advise our politicians in the region to desist from using we the youth to cause division amongst us and leadership; we have intelligence about the behavior of a politician whose stock in trade is to always use the youth to cause trouble anytime his interest is not served, we have come of age and won’t tolerate such mischief,” the youth warned.
They also called on the security agencies to seriously monitor any miscreant who want to foment trouble in the region.
