Afoko supporters and ‘Invisible Forces’ clash
There was a “turf war” at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters in Accra yesterday when perceived supporters of the party’s chairman, Mr Paul Afoko, clashed with the party’s private security known as the “Invisible Forces”.
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Numbering about 50, the perceived supporters of Mr Akofo had gone to the party’s headquarters to protest what they claimed were attempts to remove the National Chairman from office.
Arriving at the party’s headquarters in three buses, the group began chanting “No Afoko, No Vote”.
But in their attempt to force their way into the premises of the party headquarters, the group clashed with the “Invisible Forces”.
Three persons sustained head injuries after unidentified persons in the crowd threw a stone at them.
It took the timely intervention of the police to halt what could have been a bloody encounter between the two groups.
Immediately the police arrived, some of the perceived supporters of Mr Afoko took to their heels while the rest continued to engage the “Invisible Forces” in a brawl.
The clash began around 2 p.m. and attracted a large crowd of onlookers who stood at a distance to watch the exchanges.
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After calm had been restored, the “Invisible Forces” returned to their position and mounted a massive human wall at the entrance to the party’s headquarters.
The police also mounted a human wall to prevent the perceived supporters of Mr Afoko and the party’s security from engaging in further brawl.
Background
There is a growing call across the country within the leadership of the NPP for the National Chairman, Mr Afoko, and the General Secretary, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, to resign.
These calls followed the death of the party's Upper East Regional Chairman, Alhaji Adams Mahama, after he suffered an acid attack while he was entering his house after a party meeting.
The situation created uproar within the party with regional executives calling on the two officers to “step aside” for investigations to proceed.
The General Secretary has insisted that he would stay in office until his tenure runs out in 2018.
The fluid situation within the NPP seems to develop a new angle every day with the latest being the renewed clashes at the party's head office.
Police response
The Accra Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Effia Tenge, who was at the NPP headquarters, refused to comment on the clash, saying it was too early to ascertain the cause.
In a related development, the leader of the perceived supporters of Mr Afoko, Sulemana Dauda, has petitioned the police to remove the private security at the headquarters of the NPP.
According to him, the presence of the private security had made it impossible for any party official to enter the headquarters, adding that “this could worsen the current state of the party”.