North East Regional Minister Ibrahim Tia has dismissed claims by supporters of the NDC Parliamentary Candidate for Walewale that he and other regional executives are deliberately blocking the candidate from securing a government appointment.
The aggrieved supporters accuse some party leaders — including the Regional Minister, Regional Chairman and Regional Youth Organiser — of fueling divisions by spreading falsehoods to discredit the candidate.
They also contend that executives such as the Constituency Youth Organiser and Communications Officer have been overlooked.
According to them, several hardworking grassroots members who contributed significantly to the NDC’s 2024 campaign have been ignored, while individuals who played minimal roles are being rewarded with key positions.
They insist that some of the most active hands during the election have been sidelined over unfounded allegations that they engaged in skirt-and-blouse voting — accusations they describe as politically motivated.
The group says the situation has deepened frustration at the constituency level and appealed to the national leadership to intervene to restore unity.
Responding to the allegations, Regional Minister Ibrahim Tia described the complaints as baseless, emphasising that campaign effort does not automatically translate into government 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 regional executives sent damaging reports to sabotage the candidate.
“There is no formal report anywhere indicting anybody for saying someone campaigned skirt and blouse,” he stressed.
Mr Tia further explained that the party receives information from multiple channels, not solely from regional executives.
“As we were campaigning in our districts and constituencies, people from the national level also joined us. Individuals in Accra have associates across constituencies and are aware of what happens on the ground. The party has several ways of gathering information — not only through regional executives.”
While denying that supporters of the candidate had been intentionally sidelined, he did not mention any who had secured positions.
Asked whether he was satisfied that the four-time Parliamentary Candidate had not been appointed, he responded:
“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.”