The embattled district chief executive-nominee for Tolon, Hajia Amamata Sayibu, has accused the Northern Regional Minister Saying Salifu Saeed of creating a false sense of tension in the area to sabotage her appointment.
Salifu on Monday, acting on advise of the Regional Security Council, called off a planned endorsement process at the district capital citing heightened tensions and threats of chaos by some dissatisfied party youth and chiefs who have been waging revolt against the nominee.
The decision by the minister according to Starr News sources prevented a possible disturbance in the region already dogged by land and chieftaincy conflicts as the angry youth were armed ready to disrupt the process by causing mayhem.
However, Hajia Amamata discredited reason for cancellation of the program saying the minister has colluding with some “small small boys and a certain chief” to hurt her appointment by ensuring a confirmation process never held.
According to her, the minister in prosecuting the plot intentionally deployed our four (4) unarmed police personnel to the venue on the day of the aborted confirmation process and later fabricated a lie about rising tensions to cover the treachery.
“I made my ground work very well; I have been able to organize the assemblymen and women which the regional minister himself is aware of. We’ve scheduled a day for it and the day we asked the assemblymen to come, that was the day the regional minister also said there is enough security for the district. So, didn’t even know, I prepared myself very well and the people were ready to endorse me, and let me tell you my brother, there are 1o sub chiefs and all the nine chiefs have endorsed me”, the governing party’s regional women organizer said.
She added: “I’m telling you the regional minister is behind all these because how can you organize assemblymen to come and vote for a DCE by sending only four policemen to the centre. There was no enough security meanwhile you told me the regent said you shouldn’t send any security there that he is not interested in any security but before the assemblymen went there these small small boys organized themselves and went there to tell the assemblymen that if they vote for me they are going to beat them and there were able to enter into the hall just to tell the assemblymen that they shouldn’t vote for me”.
She said a second meeting organized by the minister in his office at the Regional Coordinating Council was on same day before announcing the indefinite suspension of the process was to incite constituency party executives, chiefs, youth and assembly members against her nomination.
“It was the regional minister who organized that meeting; I was there. Before he postponed this assembly election he called me, the First Vice, Assistant Vice including the Regional Secretary, so when went, he jumping from one word to another, he couldn’t even know what to tell me and I was eager to go because the assemblymen were calling me to come to the grounds so I prepared myself and this man told me that we cannot get there because there is no enough security the place is not safe for me”
“so immediately we left the RCC or whatever it is, I saw some people from my district, the executives in a vehicle jumping down to meet the minister. So when he called them I was not part of the meeting, I went away because I couldn’t bear it as a woman, when I went and stood somewhere I was told they went and told the minister that they don’t need me and that is what the regional minister is doing …so it’s the executives who are going to choose a DCE for the president”, the angry nominee quizzed.
Though Starr News sources including an assemblyman for Tolon Nayilifon who was in the Monday meeting said the regional security council has advised the minister to recommend to the president to revoke the appointment over security concerns, Hajia Amamata has shot down what she called “impossible” and affirmed the only way to retreat was for members of the assembly to disapprove her nomination through fair and transparent electoral process as stipulated by local governance regulations.
“My next line of action is we have to go for the elections if the assembly rejected me that’s all. I will insist and insist unless we go for the election. This is the only way because I haven’t gone for any election. What would the minister have to say? The people didn’t reject me, I didn’t go for any election whereby I will say maybe the people have totally voted me out…you are the head of the region. You came and distract everything you said you are postponing it, postponing it to when and I’m telling you that Monday when he postponed it he left to Accra on Tuesday without even telling me a word so this tells me that the regional minister has a hidden agenda”.
Meanwhile, an aide to the minister Shani Bawumia has dismissed the allegation.
