Atebubu MCE Escapes Lynching

…After Irate Party Executives Stormed His Office

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Atebubu-Amantin in the Bono East Region has recounted his ordeal, after some constituency executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) stormed his office to apparently to remove him.

According to Edward Owusu, who may be nursing his wounds, but for the timely intervention of the security, he would have been killed by the angry executives last Friday, July 14, 2023.

“They wanted to kill me so we can’t say it is party level. What they did if not God, they would have killed me. If not God, you would not have heard good news. It tells me they planned to do what they did,” he said, after the incident.

The MCE has accused the constituency chairman, one Musah, whom he has not been on good terms with over the years, as the mastermind of the attack.

This stems from the fact that he was informed by his attackers that they were led by the chairman to remove him but, on their way, the chairman had a call and so excused them to receive it, while on the staircase to the MCE’s office.

Asked about his relationship with the constituency chairman, the MCE retorted, “As for Chairman Musah, to be honest with you, our relationship is not good. He doesn’t even talk to me, when he calls on radio, he only insults me. That is how the relationship has been, even after others came in to settle it.”

“They are party executives but when they talked about their mission there, they said they were coming with the chairman in the person of Chairman Musah, but he had a call when they got to the first floor and so he couldn’t come to the office. It was the first vice chairman that told me, so I know all those who came,” Mr. Owusu said.

Speaking in an interview with UTV, a day after the incident, the MCE said his attackers, who are known executives from the Atebubu-Amantin constituency, locked him up in his office and threw chairs many times at him to get him to leave his office.

Edward Owusu, who sounded traumatized, said some of the party people, led by the constituency chairman, have been unhappy with him since his nomination in 2017 by President Akufo-Addo.

He said they have relentlessly tried to get him out of office, because their favorite was not chosen, but to no avail. These aggrieved persons, he added, have always shown their displeasure and threatened him, but he did not take them seriously until the incident on last Friday.

“From 2017, when I was nominated, they said they do not want me, so it has been a back-and-forth thing because their preferred choice was not given.

“They said they can’t work with me, so when we settle the issue, then they come back with the same thing again. This is the first time they are doing this, even though there have been threats in the past, but I thought they were playing until yesterday I noticed they are serious,” the MCE said.

He said he has reported the incident to the Bono East Regional minister, Kwasi Adu Gyan, but failed to say if he has officially lodged a complaint to the police for investigation.

Further narrating his ordeal, Mr. Owusu said he was at the office having a management meeting on Friday when his attackers stormed the building.

He said when he learned about their presence, he asked that they wait for him at the reception, and so, quickly, he dashed to where they were to meet them.

Upon interrogation, the MCE said the invading party folks told him they had come to ensure his removal. On his part, he informed them that he has heard them, but will also communicate their concern to the one who brought him to the office and give them feedback.

But the party members rejected his suggestion and said they wanted him to vacate his office immediately.

“Yesterday, we were having a management meeting at the assembly then we saw a group of people have stormed my office. Noticed some of them were party executives, I noticed they were party members. I informed them to wait for me at the reception, so they did that and moved to the reception.

“So, I asked them their mission and they told me they do not want me as their MCE, but they have waited that to hear that I am removed, but it hasn’t happened so they have come in person to do the needful. So, I told them okay and thanked them but will tell the person that brought me to the office and send them the reply. They said no, that is not what they want and that they want me to go this moment,” he said.

According to the MCE, the angry party members then started attacking him with anything they found on sight, after locking his office door.

“Then they locked the door, so they asked that I pack my things. So when I wanted to make a quick call, they started vandalizing the office. They hit me many times with the chairs so I quickly dashed to the washroom to make a quick call for the security to come in.

“They stormed the washroom too and so within 15 minutes, it was no joke. All the chairs were used to hit me until the security arrived and cleared them from the place,” he narrated.

In a 56 seconds viral video sighted by The Anchor, over the weekend, the agitated party members locked horns and exchanged heavy punches with the MCE’s supporters in the full glare of the public on the assembly’s compound.

The two groups, in the short clip, embarrassingly threw heavy punches in a ‘free-for-all fight.

The kick-boxing like punches landed on each member of the two groups to the shock of many. The video has gone viral on the internet, with many wondering what may have triggered the fisticuffs.

According to Mr. Owusu, the incident, in the video, occurred after the security successfully drove the angry party executives out of his office after he received his own share of the molestation.

“So in the process, some of my supporters also rushed there and met them on the compound ……they are all party members. An aide to the party chairman and the party people came to cause the havoc. I know all of them,” he said.

He added, “Those who came to the office they were about 14, but when they broke into the office, their number increased before the security came to sack them and my supporters also joined to fight the chairman’s people. I could not even see them until the security came to clear them and I came to stand outside upstairs before I saw them fighting downstairs.”

He however assured he could not let the issue slide just because his attackers were party members. From the interview, the MCE sounded frightened, but was sure, having reported the incident to the regional minister, it would be looked into.

Source: Anchorghana.com