A leading member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Techiman, Kwadwo Agyei, aka Kwadwo Cocaine, has warned that the NDC will lose the 2016 general elections if steps are not taken to address the concerns of many dissatisfied party members.
Kwadwo Cocaine told a section of the press at his base in Techiman that many NDC members are disgruntled due to the actions of some leading members of the party and government appointees in the Techiman Municipality who are using their positions to amass wealth at the expense of the people.
His anger stemmed from the alleged extortion of monies from market women at the Techiman Main Market which, he said, is denting the image of the NDC in the municipality.
Kwadwo Cocaine told the media that some party gurus in the area have made the Techiman Market a gold mine where they, in connivance with top municipal officials, are taking illegal monies from traders without issuing official receipts to that effect.
This, he noted, had contributed in collapsing many businesses in the area since the traders who contracted bank loans could not pay back the loans.
He said the development in the municipality had left many market women disappointed and angry at the NDC party as they have vowed to vote against the party.
He took a swipe at the constituency chairman and his executives as well as the Municipal Chief Executive, Philip Oppong Amponsah, for shedding the truth about the Techiman Market episode which is dragging the name of the NDC into disrepute.
The NDC stalwart cited recent development in the market where the traders were asked to pay huge monies for stalls to be constructed for them.
He indicated that the traders who could not pay have been threatened to vacate the market while those who paid were not given receipts.
“I have sacrificed so much for the NDC in Techiman even to the point that I was framed up in 2012 which led to my arrest. The party is dear to my heart and for that matter some of us will continue to seek for the welfare of the ordinary party members,” he stated.
Touching on party unity, Kwadwo Cocaine said leadership has looked on for two groups, Northern and Southern Caucuses to deepen the cracks in the party in the constituency.
He stated that the Northern Caucus was formed by some group to fight the current MCE. The Southern Caucus was later formed by another group allied to the MCE to counter the Northern Caucus.
