Some youth groups of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) have demanded the resignation of the Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, from office.
They are making the demand over his alleged his alleged interference with the mining business of a popular financier of the NPP who doubles as the party’s Upper East Regional Organiser, Charles Taleog Ndanbon.
Addressing the media at one of their bases in Bolgatanga, the Upper East regional capital, the spokesperson for the groups, Abdulai Hudu, said the regional minister abused his office by using the GCB bank account of the Upper East Regional Coordinating Council (UERCC), 901113001415, for private gains.
The groups also accused the regional minister of using his office to negotiate on behalf of Charles Taleog Ndanbon, the Chief Executive Officer of Yeneya Mining Enterprise, with Shaanxi Mining Company, a Chinese company now called Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited, without Ndanbon’s consent.
The youth groups, which are made-up of NPP Youth Group For Party Development and Agambila Youth, said: “We as NPP Youth are, therefore, calling on the regional minister to resolve the impasse he the regional minister has created between Hon. Charles T Ndanbon and the Earl International, return the money meant for Hon. Charles T. Ndanbon to Earl International so that he (Hon. Charles T. Ndanbon) will go and collect the money directly from Earl International and resign from his post as the regional minister or else we the youth groups will hit the streets after two weeks from today.”
The groups also hinted at plans to organise a series of demonstrations to demand the removal of the regional minister from office if he does not stop interfering with Ndanbon’s private business.
When Word News contacted the regional minister, he denied the allegations, saying he had no right as an individual to take anybody’s concession.
“Do I work with Minerals Commission? Am I the company (Earl International)? The problem is that, this company they are talking about, they had a licence and this licence was signed by then minister in 2019 and my understanding is that, it has been ratified by Parliament and if you go deep into the matter, you would see that people were not even happy that they have given the concession to them,” he said.
Going further, he it was not the duty of a regional minister to allocate concessions to people but a ministry.
“We have a ministry that deals with that. So, it is not the regional minister that gave that concession to Earl International and it happened in 2019. 2019, was I here? I wasn’t here.
“I don’t know what else he wants me to do. He has told everybody that he has not asked me to act on his behalf and I have left it and I have told the company that the person I’m talking for said I should not speak for him again; so, they should deal with him directly,” he stated.
Below is the groups’ full press statement:
PRESS STATEMENT NPP YOUTH GROUP FOR PARTY DEVELOPMENT, AGAMBILA YOUTH OF NPP IN UPPER EAST REGION ON THE ABUSE OF OFFICE BY THE UPPER EAST REGIONAL MINISTER (HON. STEPHEN YAKUBU) AND HIS UNDUE INTERFERENCE IN THE MINING BUSINESS OF HON. CHARLES T. NDANBON (NPP REGIONAL ORGANISER / PARTY FINANCIER) The Upper East regional minister (Hon Stephen Yakubu) abused his office by using the Regional Coordinating Council GCB account number 9011130014513 to receive Compensation meant for Yeneya Mining Enterprise owned by the NPP regional or and a party financier (Hon. Charles T. Ndanbon). We want to state that Hon. Charles T. Ndanbon has not assigned or directed anyone to collect money or mediate on his behalf or on behalf of his company and therefore the alleged act of the regional Minister could amount to false representation which is criminal. By this act of the Regional Minister, we are calling on the law-enforcement agencies, notably the NIB and the police, to investigate him and bring him to book if found culpable. A
It is public knowledge in the upper East region that between 2008 to 2021 Hon Charles T Ndanbon and Shaanxi were having cordial business relationship after he traveled to China to lobby Shaanxi into Ghana. The Company has since employed so many youths in the region and has contributed to the development of the region. In 2021 the small-scale mining license of Shaanxi was revoked and they were required to acquire a large-scale mining license which they did with a new name Earl International Gold Limited and signed an agreement with their original mining partner (Hon Charles T. Ndanbon) CEO of Yeneya mining Enterprise on certain terms agreed upon by both parties,
To the Suprise of Hon. Charles T Ndanbon, the regional minister called him to a meeting to inform him that Earl International Gold mining limited wanted to buy off his entire concession contrary to their earlier agreement which he (Hon. Charles T Ndanbon) turned down. But sadly, the Earl International is currently mining in his concession under Police and military protection offered by the regional minister meanwhile the percentage due him/his company is not being honored by Earl International which the regional minister is much aware of. We want to state clearly that Hon. Charles T Ndanbon is not against Earl international’s large Scale mining status but only demands that the agreement signed earlier should be complied with. We the youth groups here want to state categorically clear that it’s the effort of Hon Charles T Ndanbon that Earl International Gold Mining limited formerly Shaanxi came into Ghana and Upper East Region to be precise and anyone enjoying from the mining activities of Earl International is enjoying fro the labour of Hon. Charles T Ndanbon.
We as NPP youth are therefore calling on the regional minister to;
- Quickly resolve the impasse he the regional minister has created between Hon. Charles T Ndanbon and the Earl International.
- Return the money meant for Hon. Charles T. Ndanbon to Earl International so that he (Hon. Charles T. Ndanbon) will go and collect the money directly from Earl International.
- Resign from his post as the regional minister or else we the youth groups will hit the streets after two weeks from today.
Long live the NPP Youth, long live NPP, long live Mother Ghana.
Abdulai Hudu Spokesperson 0592935421
Raymond A Azoya 0246209555