NDC candidate goes AWOL … Over GH¢45, 000 extortion charge

From Simmons Yussif Kewura, Kumasi

VERY SOON, the Ashanti Regional Secretariat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) would

DR. Kwabena Adjei, NDC

open nominations at the Nhyeiaso Constituency for fresh primaries to elect a new Parliamentary Candidate, following the disqualification of the Parliamentary Candidate for the area, Mr. Aubrey Mends, who is being wanted for alleged extortion of GH¢45,000.00. 

The move becomes necessary as a result of the interdiction of Mr. Mends by the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, headed by the Regional Minister, Dr. Kwaku Agyemang-Mensah, as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the RCC.

According to Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC, Mr. Joseph Yamin, the whereabouts of Mr. Mends is not known as he vanished into thin air for reasons best known to himself.

The NDC scribe suspected that his disappearance has to do with the news that he (Mends) has fraudulently duped a certain contractor of GH¢45, 000 in the name of the Ashanti Regional Minister. Mr. Yamin disclosed to The Chronicle that the Ashanti Regional Secretariat, after deliberations on matter, decided to disqualify Mends to pave way for fresh nominations.

Mr. Yamin told The Chronicle that what the Ashanti NDC was waiting for is a response from the General Secretary of the NDC, since they have filed Mends disqualification to Accra, saying they want fresh election to be conducted before the opening of the Voters’ Register.

Information available to The Chronicle revealed that Mr. Mends, who was appointed as the Ashanti RCC PRO in August last year, allegedly used his (Ashanti Regional Minister) boss’ name to collect GH¢45, 000 from a contractor. The information suggests that the former PRO told the contractor that his boss wanted the money to facilitate a very juicy contract for him (the contractor).

The Contractor, who trusted the PRO, doled out the money to Mr. Mends, but after several months of waiting without any result, he approached the Minister, who denied knowledge of the transaction.

The incident was reported to the security authorities for investigations, but Mr. Mends, sensing danger and subsequent exposure, vanished into thin air.

Mr. Mends had a smooth run to become the NDC Parliamentary Candidate, when his sole contender, Mr. Francis Tahoda was disqualified on a similar allegation during the party’s vetting in Kumasi.

When he organized a party for some selected party executives from his constituency after the disqualification of Mr. Tahoda, little did he was also going to fall into the same trap.

Mr. Mends came into the limelight after becoming the chairman of the ‘Movement for Better Ghana’ and subsequently the Ashanti Regional PRO, after the removal of one Mr. Sebastian Odoom.

A fortnight ago The Chronicle managed to reach Mr. Mends on phone at his hideout, but he declined to talk on the matter, and suggested that he was rather being implicated in the matter.