It appears the suspension of the National Chairman of the Opposition New Patriotic Party, (NPP) Paul Afoko, has rekindled the deep-seated factionalism in the party. The National Executive Committee of the NPP last Friday October 23 unanimously endorsed a recommendation by the party’s disciplinary committee suspending Paul Afoko for stated misconduct. Since the suspension, several party bigwigs and groups have expressed their views on the development, somewhat confirming the divisions in the party.
While Charles Wereko Brobby, a leading member of the NPP has likened the suspension to a coup, an avowed critic, Dr. Arthur Kennedy, has labeled the party as inhospitable to non-Akans. Now a former spokesperson for then President John Agyekum Kufour, Andrew Awuni, is also asking delegates who voted at the last congress, to resist Mr. Afoko’s suspension. Mr. Awuni’s call comes in spite of calls by the Flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo to all party members to accept and respect the decision of the NEC.
Speaking on Accra-based Neat FM, an emotional Mr. Andrew Awuni questioned why Mr. Paul Afoko who is going through personal disturbing experiences would be treated in such a manner regardless of his sacrifices for the party. He thus charged the delegates who voted Afoko into office to rise and oppose his suspension. “How wicked can a man be to his neighbor? The man’s father is still lying on the ground waiting to be buried so to speak. The man’s direct younger brother is in prison custody now because of the very machinations of his own party…and I know exactly what Paul has done for this party. It’s about total disrespect for the entirety of this party; and until constituency and polling station executives who went to queue to vote stand up and say no, this party has been hijacked. I mean this party is not going anywhere with this type of attitude” he noted. Meanwhile Spokesperson for the suspended Chairman, Nana Yaw Osei, says the embattled Paul Afoko who still considers himself the Chairman, will seek redress at the court, if the internal party structures fail to exonerate him. Meanwhile the Communications Director of the NPP, Nana Akomea, has served notice that Mr. Afoko has two weeks within which to appeal the decision using the internal party structures.
Source – Citifm
