A founding member of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has described moves by the Council of Elders of the party to suspend national chairman Paul Afoko as a ‘disguised coup.’

The NPP has been afflicted with protracted rivalry and mistrust as its National Council of Elders has in the latest twist, requested the party’s national chairman Afoko to step aside until after the 2016 elections.

The Council contends that Afoko’s conduct over the years has brought the image of the party into disrepute.

But speaking to Starr News’ Ibrahim Alhassan, outspoken Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe said the action of the Council smacks of hypocrisy.

“To me the recommendation to the disciplinary committee is a disguised coup d’état against the elected party chairman and the authors of these imaginary references really don’t understand the complicated situation they are putting not just themselves [in] but the party as well,” the former Ghana FA boss said.

“They have been inactive when people made ethnocentric attacks that could be fatal to the party. There are numerous examples… they have been inactive when people attacked the party leadership. They have become active only when something could be conjured against Afoko and I think this is very unfortunate,” the firebrand added.

The founding member is of the opinion the move by the elders could spell doom for the party in the three Northern regions given what historically happened to the tenure of Hilla Limann when elected as president of Ghana.