Members of the ruling New Patriotic Party and the largest opposition National Democratic Congress in the Wa East constituency of the Upper West Region have expressed divergent opinions over the continuation of the Chaasie community electrification project.
The NDC constituency Secretary who doubles as the Assembly member for the area, … was reported to have sent message across the community that the NDC’s Parliamentary candidate for the constituency Dr. Seidu Jasaw had intervened. Mr … told members of the community that the candidate had implored the contractor who abandoned the project to mobilize to go to the community to continue the project. The project is said to have been abandoned for a little over 2 years.
Speaking to Radio Waa’s Yelkaabahe programme on Monday September 21, 2020 the Assembly member … noted that the contract was awarded by the NDC before the party lost the 2016 elections. He said the contract since not seen any progress but for the intervention of Dr. Seidu Jasaw.
“It is now that the NPP knows there is a community called Chaasie, are they telling us that for the past 3-4 years they are not aware of this project, I believe that they heard that Dr. Jasaw called the contractor and they also decided to rush to the scene telling all these stories, why were they not continuing project until now” … quizzed.
Meanwhile, Hon. Salifu Yakubu, Parliamentary candidate of the NPP for the area noted that, prior to the party’s primaries, the community members appealed to him to support them get the contractor back on site. He added that, after emerging victorious the people re-echoed their call for the contractor to come back to site, adding that, he took pictures of the materials that were lying waste in the community and forwarded them to the appropriate authorities. He said in his quest to further the project, he met the contractor and asked that he finish the project he started.
Mr. Salifu indicated that the NDC has no knowledge of how the contractor went back to the community. He explained that, the contractor’s request through the Assembly Member for an accommodation for the Contractor and his staff went unheeded to.
“The NDC has no hand in the coming back of the contractor, if they knew how to do such things in opposition why didn’t they do it until this time and they are saying they couldn’t complete the project before they left power. If Jasaw can and the NDC is so powerful to bring back the contractor to continue the project why didn’t they do all that while,” Mr Salifu stated.
However, when Radio Waa’s News Crew visited the community, residents of Chaasie told the team that, the Assemblyman through their branch chairman informed them that the NDC’s candidate was the one facilitating the return of the contractor. The resident continued to say that a day after, the NPP’s Parliamentary candidate Mr. Salifu Yakubu visited the community with the contractor only named ‘Nana’ who admitted that it was the constant follow-ups and meetings of Hon. Salifu Yakubu with his superiors that brought him back.
According to the residents, the contractor admitted that Dr. Jasaw also called him on the matter but due to the pressure exerted by Mr. Salifu on his superiors that he was asked to quickly return to the site.
Attempts however to reach the contractor have proved futile.
