Akyem Oda NPP coordinators appeal suspension

Ten suspended electoral area coordinators of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Akyem Oda Constituency have petitioned the national secretariat to reverse the decision of the regional executives to suspend them.

The reversal of the decision, they said, would ease tension in the party.

According to them, they were suspended after they had protested to the Eastern Regional executives of the party about the open campaign of the Constituency Chairman, Alhaji Awudu Issaka, for the incumbent Member of Parliament, Mr William Agyapong Quaittoo.

That, they said, was contrary to the directives of the General Secretary of the NPP, Mr John Boadu, that no member of the party’s executives should be involved in campaigning for an aspirant.

Neutrality

At a press conference to appeal to the national executives to intervene in the matter, the spokesman of the group, Mr Frank Nkansah, who is the Oda Nsenaa Electoral Area Coordinator, said the petition to the regional executives on February 23, 2020 was to enable the regional executives to call the constituency chairman to order.

He said as a member of the Constituency Parliamentary Elections Committee, Alhaji Issaka ought to exhibit a high level of neutrality since he was the leader of the party in the constituency.

That, he said, was also to foster unity among the members after the primary.

Suspension

Mr Nkansah stressed that instead of addressing the petition, the regional executives rather resorted to the suspension of the 10 out of the 18 electoral area coordinators.

He said the suspension letter dated March 22, 2020 from the Eastern Regional chairman directed the Oda Constituency NPP chairman to suspend them from all party activities in the constituency until further notice.

“In the same letter, the constituency chairman was instructed to refer the matter to the Constituency Disciplinary Committee for ratification and/or further action/punishment after having taken a definite position on the matter,” he stated.

Mr Nkansah said the Eastern Regional Secretariat of the NPP failed to respond to their appeal to lift the suspension.

Breaches

He said the conduct of the Regional NPP Secretariat was in breach of Article 4 Clause 3 Subsection 3 Subsections 6 and 7a of the NPP’s Constitution, which stated: “A member who breaches any provision in this constitution or whose activities undermine the party’s constitution shall have a complaint lodged against him/her.

He said on receiving the suspension letter on March 22, 2020, they filed an appeal at the National NPP Secretariat on March 24, 2020 for redress pursuant to Article 4 Clause 6 Subsection 3, copies of which were given to the NPP national chairman, the Eastern Regional Council of Elders, the chairman of the National Parliamentary Vetting Committee and the Oda Constituency NPP Council of Elders, but it had not yet received the needed attention from any of them.

‘’However, after 26 days upon receiving the suspension letter, the Constituency Disciplinary Committee has vehemently refused to call us for a fair hearing, which is in breach of Article 4 Clause 5 Subsection 3 And Article 3 Clause 3 Subsection 2,” he added.

The petitioners, therefore, appealed to the national and regional executives of the NPP, the Council of Elders and the Senior Minister, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, to resolve the matter amicably to promote peace and unity in the constituency.