Reinstatement of Kwabena Agyapong...Petitioners express surprise at Freddie Blay’s claim

Three petitioners for the reinstatement of the suspended general secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) have expressed surprise that the acting national chairman of the party has stated that there is no petition before the party for consideration.

The three petitioners - Mr Haruna Abdul Basid of the Bawku Central Constituency and Convenor in Accra; Mr Ronald Kay Kay Fiakpui, a former member of the Volta Regional Communication Team and aspiring Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho Central, and Bright Arthur, a former Ewutu Senya East Constituency Organiser, all expressed shock at claims by the acting National Chairman, Mr Freddie Blay, that most of the petitioners were not known to the party and were doing so out of mischief, only talking to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) media who were also harping on it.

The petitioners, who stormed the offices of the Daily Graphic in Accra on Tuesday demanding a rejoinder and showing their NPP identity cards, insisted that they had been with the party since its formation.

They were reacting to an interview granted by Mr Blay to the Daily Graphic and published in the last Tuesday edition of the paper on the reinstatement of the suspended General Secretary of the party, Mr Kwabena Agyapong.

The petitioners, however, insisted that if the party claimed that it had not received their petitions, they would push them through by presenting it again.

Interview

In the interview with the paper last week, Mr Blay disclosed that, “As we speak, there is no agitation or petition for the return of Mr Agyapong or Afoko and if any petition comes before us, we will honestly look at it and hand it over to the party’s National Council for it to be considered.” 

He said the “so-called petition” to reinstate Mr Kwabena Agyapong as the party‘s General Secretary only existed by word of mouth and, therefore, could not be considered.

“Most of the petitioners are unknown to the party and are doing so out of mischief, only talking to the NDC media who are also harping on it,” he stated.

Mr Blay also stated that the petition only came up for mention at the party’s steering committee meeting last week.

Read also: Agyapong’s issue mentioned at steering committee — Blay

Petitioners

The three petitioners, however, insisted that they had submitted copies of the petitions received from seven regions, including Central, Ashanti, Volta, Greater Accra and Brong Ahafo, to the party’s headquarters in Accra.

They said the petitions addressed to the acting national chairman were also copied to former President Kufuor, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Majority leader and some members of the diplomatic corps, adding that one of the petitions was received by one Mr Alex Yeboah at the reception of the party’s headquarters.

Status of petitioners

According to the petitioners, they had been card-bearing members of the party and, therefore, wondered why he (Mr Blay) should doubt their membership.

They said Mr Agyapong had worked hard for the party and cited instances where he supported some aspiring MPs with waivers on their parliamentary nomination fees, noting that those candidates won their seats in the 2016 election.

According to the petitioners those individuals who were given waivers are now MPs and have been appointed by President Akufo-Addo as ministers.

Reasons for suspension

According to the petitioners, their call for the reinstatement of Mr Agyapong was only meant to ensure unity, cohesiveness, fairness and natural justice within the party and to secure victory in the 2020 election.

“We still don’t believe that this is a removal dressed in suspension. We are adding our voices to our teeming counterparts across the country and the silent majority in the greater interest of unity, cohesiveness and in the spirit of fairness and natural justice to lift the suspension and reinstate Mr Agyapong to his elected position,” they stressed. 

Asked what they would do if the party failed to call Mr Agyapong back, they said: “We think that the party will listen to us because we think that we have a good case and there is the need to protect the party’s constitution.”

Besides, the petitioners argued the reasons assigned to Mr Agyapong’s suspension were “petty” and not valid enough to warrant such a long suspension.

The three petitioners reminded those aspiring to take up higher positions within the party at the next congress to take a cue from the Tamale congress that voted for Mr Agyapong and the rest and support their cause.

“This is the only way to sanitise the administration of the party and give it credibility if elected officers of the party are made to function as such in consonance with the party’s constitution,” they stated.