The North East Regional Minister, Ibrahim Tia, has pushed back against complaints from the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Walewale and his supporters over alleged delays and unfairness in government appointments.
The unhappy supporters accuse some regional executives — including the Regional Minister, Regional Chairman, and Regional Youth Organiser — of deepening divisions by spreading falsehoods to block the Parliamentary Candidate from being considered for a government role.
They also say executives such as the Constituency Youth Organiser and Constituency Communications Officer have been neglected.
According to the aggrieved supporters, many individuals who worked tirelessly for the NDC during the 2024 campaign have been ignored, while others who made little contribution are being rewarded with influential positions.
They claim that some key figures who played crucial roles in the elections have been sidelined based on false allegations that they engaged in skirt-and-blouse voting — allegations they describe as baseless and politically motivated.
They insist the situation has created deep frustration and widened cracks within the party’s grassroots. They argue that the treatment of the Parliamentary Candidate and his team is unfair and undermines unity.
They have therefore appealed to the national leadership to intervene and restore trust in the constituency.
In a sharp response, Regional Minister Ibrahim Tia dismissed the accusations as baseless, stressing that political support does not entitle anyone to an appointment.
“He’s not the only one who contested and hasn’t been appointed,” Mr. Tia said.
“Abed [Bunkpurugu] is there — he has no position, and he is one of the senior-most MPs in my region. Alhassan Sulemana, Jah Bless [Yunyoo], no position; Alajo [Chereponi], no position.”
He rejected claims that he or other regional executives sabotaged the candidate through false reports.
“There is no formal report anywhere indicting anybody for saying someone campaigned skirt and a blouse,” he stated.
He added that party leadership receives information from many sources.
“As we were campaigning in our districts and constituencies, people from the national level also joined us. Beyond that, individuals in Accra have associates across constituencies and are privy to what happens on the ground. The party has several ways of gathering information — not only through regional executives.”
Mr Tia also denied that individuals aligned with the candidate were deliberately sidelined, though he did not name any who had secured positions.
Asked whether he personally felt satisfied that the party’s four-time Parliamentary Candidate had not received an appointment, he replied:
“Let me ask you a question: can you imagine the number of candidates who haven’t won and have not gotten appointments? I am not happy, but I am asking a question.
“We have national executives without positions, and at the regional level, we have former executives, too. Certainly, I’m not happy — I would have wanted everyone in my region to be appointed. But again, not everybody can be appointed.”