NPP Council of Elders asks Afoko to step aside
The problems within the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) seem to be deepening with the National Council of Elders of the party formally requesting the National Disciplinary Committee to suspend the party’s National Chairman from office until after the 2016 elections.
An official communication to announce the action has however delayed due to a misunderstanding between the communications unit of the party and the Council of Elders.
Graphic Online also gathered that the flag bearer of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo had appealed for a reversal of the decision.
But in a request letter headlined “Re: Complaint Against the conduct of Mr Paul Afoko, National Chairman of NPP” and solely signed by Mr C.K. Tedam, Chairman, of the National Council of Elders, and copied to a number of party leading members, it requested the expeditious handling of the complaint in order to urgently restore peace and tranquility to the party.
However, Nana Akufo-Addo and former President J.A. Kufuor, were yet to receive their copies.
Graphic Online could also not tell whether the National Chairman, Paul Afoko, General Secretary, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong and the Minority leader Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu have received copies.
According to the elders their request to the disciplinary committee would enable the party to focus on the important issues of preparations for the 2016 general elections and not least to assuage the worries of the teeming supporters and the majority of Ghanaians who were yearning for an NPP return to turn around the fortunes of the country.
Some of the reliefs they are seeking include a thorough investigation into the constitutional breaches of Chairman Afoko and appropriate recommendations to promote discipline, peace, order, harmony and progress for the party towards election 2016.
According to the request, the party had reached the crossroads and definitive action needs to be taken immediately to bring all such misconducts and infractions to an end.
It is not clear the key rational for the decision but sources within the party have said it was triggered by the winding and protracted wrangling within the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition.
Internal problems
Over the last one year, the main opposition party has been saddled with internal wrangling which resulted in the death of the Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama after an acid attack near his home in Bolgatanga in May 2015.
Just when matters were settling down, information emerged last two weeks that a dormant account of the party at Ecobank, had been re-activated by the First Vice Chair, Freddie Blay and the Treasurer, Abankwa Yeboah without the knowledge of the National Chairman and General Secretary and sums of money amounting to about GHc1million had been taken out of the account.
It also emerged that a sub-committee had been tasked by the party to go into the issues and a party member Baah Achamfour reported the matter to the police alleging criminality.
The General Secretary, Mr Kwabena Agyei Agyepong on Monday in a radio interview revealed that there were machinations to sideline himself and the chairman, Mr Paul Afoko because some party folks thought they were saboteurs to the flag bearer’s campaign.
Earlier, Mr Freddie Blay in a 3-page letter, written by his lawyers in a response to the issues stated that the said Ecobank Account has been in existence for 12-years now, contrary to a member of the party, Mr Baah Achamfour’s claims.
He explained that Messrs Afoko and Agyepong “refused to sign the Ecobank mandate card when they realized that our client was a signatory to that account. They insisted on being signatories to the exclusion of our client.”
Freddie Blay insisted there was no wrongdoing on his part because no money was taken out of the Ecobank account for any personal purpose or any purpose not approved by the Steering Committee of the party.
This development engendered a lot of media brouhaha by some party members, compelling the flag bearer Nana Akufo-Addo to issue an immediate ceasefire on internal party wrangling on the radio.
It is therefore surprising that when all expected calm to reign in the party, after the flag bearer had called for an immediate ceasefire on the radio, the National Council of Elders has found it necessary to formally write to the National Disciplinary Committee for such an action to be taken against the party’s national chairman.
Council of Elders letter
The letter said: "The National Council of Elders has taken a number of steps to resolve tensions within the party particularly from the Regional Chairmen level to the National Chairman following the murder of the Upper East Regional Chairman, Mr. Adams Mahama."
The Council of Elders said it held several meetings with the attempt to resolve the challenges with the latest being a July 30, 2015 meeting with Mr Paul Afoko and the General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong to discuss the state of the party.
At every meeting of the Council it was stressed that party matters should be kept out of the media. The Elders said Paul Afoko disregarded a party position to keep internal party matters out of the media.
"It therefore came as a shock of our teeming supporters, NEC and the National Council of elders to read in the dailies a statement from one Nana Yaw Osei who described himself as the spokesperson of the national chairman of the NPP, Mr. Paul Afoko about fighting corruption at all levels of the party. This was immediately followed by one Mr. Baah Achamfour who proceeded to make a complaint to the police."
The letter said Mr. Afoko has gone further to give a statement to the police, which is likely to take the matter out of the hands of the committee members and also give the matter more publicity.
The elders said the chairman's acceptance to allow the intrusion by the police in the party's internal matter following the complaint of a so-called party member leaves much to be desired.
"The conduct of Chairman Afoko and his alleged spokesperson is in gross and flagrant violation of Article 3 d (VIII) of the NPP's constitution under duties of a Member which states that a member shall not initiate or commence or prosecute any legal proceedings whatsoever against the a party or any member of the party relating to party affairs without first exhausting the grievance procedure laid down in the Constitution in respect of grievances against the party or any other members," the letter said.
The National Council in May this year asked the National Chairman and General Secretary to step down. But the call was rejected.
With this latest move the Council of Elders is calling for a thorough investigation into the constitutional breaches of chairman Afoko and the appropriate recommendation to promote discipline, peace, order, harmony and progress in the party towards election 2016.
“At least suspension of chairman Afoko from his office until after the 2016 elections.”
“Sir, we believe the party has reached the cross-roads and definitive action needs to be taken immediately to bring all such misconducts and infractions to an end. We will expect speedy treatment of this complaints and in any case, not later than the constitutionally stipulated deadline of 21-days in article 4.5(c)," portions of the 4-page letter said.
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