NDC Al Qaeda Attacks Party Executives, Two Wounded

A new political vigilante group, calling itself NDC Al Qaeeda, Saturday afternoon attacked some National Democratic Congress executive members in the Northern Regional Capital, Tamale, leaving the Regional Secretary, Sualisu Be-Awuribe and Treasurer, Kassim Bakari, with various degrees of injuries.

The regional secretary, whose car was also smashed, has accused the regional Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Mobila, of masterminding the attack.

He told reporters that the national executive of the party had asked the region to submit names of some members as facilitators for the impending National Delegates Congress, but the regional chairman would not cooperate with him to compile the list.

He disclosed that the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Inusah Fuseini, even tried to intervene in the matter, and added that it was while he (regional secretary) was going to meet with the MP over the matter that some irate youth, organized by the Regional chairman, attacked him.

Hon. Inusah Fuseini, who confirmed the incident, lamented that attempts by the Northern Region Minority Caucus in Parliament to settle the differences between the two officials have failed to yield any positive results.

“I do not think that it would be prudent for us to continue to push for a meeting of the entire executives in the Northern Region…I have seen pictures of the Secretary who appear to have been wounded by the attacks.

“So I don’t think it will be appropriate for me to continue with the other colleagues in Parliament on the NDC side to continue pushing for a meeting,” he said.

Meanwhile, ex-President John Dramani Mahama has urged the feuding parties to ‘cease fire’. The Presidential candidate hopeful asked the parties to resort to dialogue in resolving any misunderstanding between them.

According to a statement signed by his campaign spokesperson, James Agyenim-Boateng, Mr. Mahama is “already in touch with the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu and other Members of Parliament from the region who are working with the Council of Elders to resolve any impasse”

It would be recalled that the NDC General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, recently defended the reemergence of vigilante groups in the party, despite condemnations by many Ghanaians, especially Civil Society groups, against the development.

“I endorse it fully”, he was quoted as saying, and refused to condemn the Hawks, who emerged at the Ashanti regional congress recently.

Other vigilante groups in the party include ‘The Dragons’ (based in the Brong Ahafo region), ‘The Lions’ (based in the Eastern region), and the Azoka Boys and Al Qaeeda, all based in Northern Regional capital, Tamale.