March 28, 2024

Dr Karl Mark Arhin, Deputy Director, IRD-NDC

A fresh crisis is looming in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) UK/Ireland Chapter ahead of the Chapter’s election, as an ally of one of the four chairmanship aspirants is alleged to be responsible for the current unrest  in the chapter.

This, those familiar with happenings within the Chapter explained, is due to the fear of the former Chairman of Milton Keynes Conrad Z. Dumbah losing and unresolved issue over the compilation of names of the electoral college across the Branches of the Chapter.

Members from each of the branches; including East London, Telford, Milton Keynes and Birmingham are automatic members of the chapter expected to participate in the  election of Chapter Executives.

Shockingly, hundreds of these loyal activists have been taken off the voter roll and replaced with the boys and girls of Alex Bediako.

They argued that for one to be a member of a branch he or she is required by the party guidelines to register and pay his or her dues on or before June 30, 2022. While those seeking to be elected as branch Executive should have been a paid-up member of a bran of the chapter for a minimum of four years.

In the estimation of the aggrieved members, a chunk of number of the people on the register are either from Milton Keynes, East London or Telford where Alex Bediako and Conrad both served as Secretary and Chairman respectively.

They have accused Alex Bediako and Dr Karl Arhin of hijacking, padding, and manipulating the voter roll in furtherance of Conrad Dumbah’s bid.

The Hawk learned that rather than compiling an album of the Chapter  in line with the party’s guidelines, Conrad’s ally, Alex Bediako, allegedly bypassed the Branch leaders of Telford, Milton Keynes, East London and Birmingham in the United Kingdom and unilaterally  manufactured  a register of his friends and cronies to the detriment of other contestants.

Speaking to The Hawk  over the development, a member of the five-member vetting committee, who pleaded anonymity, said that Dr Karl Mark Arhin, who is lacing his boot to contest the Amenfi Central parliamentary primaries, has allegedly hijacked the processes of election and doing whatever he likes due to his position as the Deputy Director of International Relations Directorate.

He added that for selfish interest, Dr Arhin has singularly squashed  the report of the vetting committee, and reinstated persons who were rightfully disqualified. By the committee.

To him, Bediako and Arhim are on this undemocratic voyage to foist on the Chapter Conrad and his inept team.

“We are calling on our National Executives and the Elders of the Chapter to caution and call Dr Karl Arhin and Alex Bediako to order to drop what they described as an “undemocratic idea of imposing an unpopular candidate on the people before it’s too late.”

Some chapter stakeholders are up in arms against the Electoral Committee particularly, Alex Bediako, Dr Karl Arhin and Sister Akua Owusu  for their combined roles in falsifying  the report of the Michael Frimpong’s  chaired Vetting Committee.

 The Edwin Essel chaired Electoral Committee has made nonsense of the report of the Vetting Committee. The Vetting Committee among other things have disqualified some applicants for non-payment of dues, but dramatically, the Electoral Committee have reinstated three of the nine disqualified applicants.

Disqualified Applicants
The Hawk has gathered that three of the nine disqualified applicants by the Vetting Committee for not meeting requirement has miraculously found their names on the list of successful applicants.

Wisdom Kofi Adoli, Isabella Dieteson, Kwame Owusu Achiaw, Gladys Agalga, Rger Bokor, Suleman Mahama, Papa Andoh Kweku and Gilbert Amartey were all disqualified by the Michael Frimpong chaired Vetting Committee.

The five-member Committee had found them unfit to stand to be voted for not satisfying all of the criteria sit-down by the committee.

Below are the extracts of the Committee Report

Notes on Aspirants whose Nominations Did Not Satisfy the Eligibility Criteria

10.1. Wisdom Kofi Adoli

He was disqualified because his dues payment was not up to the four-year period. He made the following payments captured in the UK/Ireland Chapter account by the dues’ deadline:

10.2. Mrs. Isabella Peace Diateson

There is no evidence of filing fee payment and could not provide the evidence when requested on 3/01/2023. Evidence on her form when she contested for the branch position indicates she joined the party in March 2019 which is less than the minimum 4 years required to contest Chapter position. Evidence of receipts which could not be verified from her branch’s account showed she had paid only £170, which is short of the £240.

10.3. Gladys Agalga

Not up to 4 years in the Chapter. She joined the Reading Branch on 28th January 2022. The eligibility to contest as provided in the guidelines requires one to be a member for four years.

10.4. Sumaila Mahama

Dues are not up to £240. Only £120 was seen in the chapter bank account.

10.5 Papa Andoh-Kweku

He did not pay filing fee. His membership started from February 2022, hence could not meet the four years eligibility requirement.

10.6 Gilbert Amartey

Did not pay filing fee on time. He paid filing fee on the day other executive member aspirants were vetted.

10.7 Kwaku Owusu Achiaw

He paid filing fee after the deadline of 18th December 2022. He presented a petition that he and others he listed (see his petition and outcome) as aspirants who paid their filing fee 19th December 2022. After investigations, those he listed paid on the 18th December 2022 but the money reflected in the chapter account on the 19th December 2022. Since he himself confirmed to the Committee that he paid the filing fee on the 19th December 2022, the Committee came to the conclusion that he paid after the deadline. As a result, the Committee concluded he did not meet the guidelines’ requirement of filing on the 18th of December 2022.

10.8 Roger

As Chapter treasurer who had access to the Chapter receipts, he issued a receipt of £185 on 09/09/2018 which he claimed was his dues but failed to pay same into the chapter account till date. It is important that members elected or appointed into party positions would always protect the party’s purse. Also, there was no other evidence of him paying dues for the 4 years found in records.

10.9 Mary Gardiner

The aspirant’s dues paid over the four-year period was not up to £240. The total amount of money paid as dues to the North London Bank Account was £170 as follows:

31/10/22

22/06/22

08/11/21

– £70 – £50 – £50

The VC contacted the North London Branch and the aspirant for further information on the

aspirant’s dues, but the response could not lead the Committee to any payment by the aspirant.

However, Wisdom Kofi Adoli, Isabella Diateson, Mary Gardiner and Roger Bokor’s names have appeared among 36 aspirants cleared to contest the Chapter elections.

Adoli, the former Chapter Youth Organiser is vying to be the Secretary. Mary Gardiner is pushing to be retained as the Chapter Women Organiser, while Roger Bokor is contesting for Treasurer.

WhatsApp message and Phone calls to Dr Karl Arhin for comment were not answered, but a member of the committee who spoke on the condition of anonymity said the report is the handiwork of Dr. Karl Arhin, the Deputy Director of International Relation Department, adding that he has contested the report because it does not reflect what transpired at the vetting committee.

In spite of petitions, protests and agitations, the Electoral Commission is bent on proceeding with the process without looking at the concerns raised by some of the key stakeholders.

We have gathered that the affected persons are organising to disrupt any event leading to the election.

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