The parliamentary candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for Nabdam, Charles Taleog Ndanbon, has been waging a spirited campaign to unseat Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
As a small-scale miner, he says he wants to join the Energy and Mines Committee of Ghana’s parliament to augment its work with his experience in the goldfield.
Even though many believe Djibouti will win the World Cup before the NPP will win the seat again in post-Asaga Nabdam, Ndanbon strongly believes he can pull an upset in the NDC-endemic constituency when Ghana heads to the polls in December, 2024.
He draws his confidence from the 2012 historic defeat his uncle, Boniface Gambila of the NPP, inflicted on NDC strongman, Moses Aduku Asaga, who had held the seat since 1996.
But tonight, Ndabon’s campaign will pause for champagne as his relations, friends and well-wishers gather at his Bolgatanga residence to celebrate his 49th birthday with him.
He shares the same birthday with Ghana, who also celebrates her 67th independence anniversary today with the theme: “Our Democracy, Our Pride”.
Ndanbon, better known as Charles in the Upper East region where he lives, is the NPP’s Upper East Regional Organiser and Managing Director of the Yenyeya Small-Scale Mining Group. He hails from Damol-Tindongo, the Nabdam hometown of famous preacher, Eastwood Anaba.
Missing Partners
Ndanbon’s birthday party will see his one-time Chinese business partners absent.
He had travelled to China in 2008 and wooed Shaanxi Mining Company to Ghana to support his Yenyeya Small-Scale Mining Group in Talensi, a district in the Upper East region, as a technical-service partner.
He and his Chinese partners co-existed peacefully for years until Shaanxi suddenly decided to go solo into a large-scale mining operation in the same district, leaving him behind contrary to an agreement the two parties had signed.
The Chinese also captured his 25-acre mining concession among several goldfields within a 16.02sqkm they acquired for the large-scale mining business. A 16.02sqkm tract of land is about the size of 4,000 standard football fields put together.
After acquiring the land, the foreign company also changed its name to Earl International Group (Ghana) Gold Limited. It was reported later that the company’s Chief Executive Officer, Wei Xing, who had worked together with Ndanbon since 2008, also banned Ndanbon from entering the company’s yard.
On Friday, 12 May 2023, Ndanbon filed a case at High Court ‘1’ in Bolgatanga against the Chinese company over the agreement breach.
On Monday, 19 June 2023, the lawyers for the foreign company responded to the suit, arguing that Ndanbon had no capacity to sue the company because his firm (Yenyeya Small-Scale Mining Group) entered into an agreement with Shaanxi Mining Company Limited and not Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited.
The lawyers asked the court to, on that basis, dismiss the case brought by Ndanbon.
But after the judge presiding over the case, Charles Adjei Wilson, delivered his ruling on Wednesday, 20 September 2023, it was Ndanbon who left the courtroom smiling.
The judge explained that when the company changed from Shaanxi Mining Company Limited to Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited, it also transferred all the old liabilities of Shaanxi Mining Company Limited to Earl International Group Ghana Gold Limited.
Justice Wilson made it clear that those old liabilities also included the same old agreement the two parties signed. He described the company’s application as “an academic exercise”. Accordingly, he threw the foreign company’s application out and awarded a cost of Gh¢5,000 (current equivalent of USD398.75 or 368.56 Euros) against the company.
The judge also ordered the company to file its defence in ten days. Afterwards, the company’s lawyers filed an appeal against the ruling.
The appellate court in Kumasi, Ashanti region, is yet to go over the High Court ruling. And until that time is due, Ndanbon will pop the champagne tonight, his one-time business partners missing at the celebration, and resume his election campaign thereafter.
Source: Edward Adeti/Media Without Borders/mwbonline.org
