The Northern Regional executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has sacked Alhaji Abdulai Zakaria as chairman of Mion Constituency forworking against the party’s interest in the 2020 general elections.
It said due processes were followed and he was given a fair trial but couldseek redress with the party’s National Executives if he disagreed with his removal.
The said the Northern Regional Disciplinary Committee report found him guilty of breach of Oath of Office as provided in Article 48(8) of the NDC constitution.
In a release issued on November 22, 2021, to announce the removal of Alhaji Zakaria, the regional leadership said in April some members of the party filed a petition against him for anti-party conduct, and behaviour contributing to the party’s loss of the Mion Constituency seat, with an attached audio recording on which he was heard encouraging voters to vote against the NDC.
It said Alhaji Zakaria was suspended, and the petition was referred to the Committee for hearing and subsequently recommended his removal from office.
According to Mohammed Salam, the Regional Secretary, noted that during the elections, rumours were rife, but did not work with rumours and allegations because they ended up chasing leadership, members and supporters out of the party.
He said because there was evidence in a formal petition, they needed to walk Alhaji Zakaria through processes provided bearing in mind he had right to fair trial and the report contained processes which the former chairman was taken through following which the Disciplinary Committee came out with its recommendation.
“We have asked him in the letter if he feels disgruntled by decision, he can appeal to the national executive council for review,” Mr Salam said.
The immediate past Member of Parliament for Mion Constituency, Mohammed Abdul-Aziz, expressed disappointment for not getting Alhaji Zakaria sacked before the 2020 polls and failed to act when he received information he was working against his re-election bid.
He said he regretted not acting earlier on the allegation brought against his former chairman which was “clear and obvious” the embattled chairman was working against him, but he did not want to destabilise the party ahead of the elections.
“It was clear and obvious and was not hidden, I knew my chairman was in bed with my opponent, his direct siblings were leading the campaign of my opponent, some of the executives even asked me to initiate an action against him even before the elections but I thought that was not the right way to go and I remember telling them in a meeting when you are going to war, you do not want to rock your own boat, and let us stay together and after the elections we can address the issues.
“I did everything humanly possible to hold the party together but I have regretted it, I should have listened to those who called for his head and I even got the then flag bearer of our party John Mahama on his visits to speak to him the Constituency but to no avail,” Mr Abdul-Aziz decried. –citinewsroom.com
