The Ashanti Regional branch of the Democratic People's Party (DPP) has asked members of the party to disregard pronouncements by an Accra based legal practitioner, T.N. Ward-Brew that the party has pulled out of the Progressive Alliance. In a statement issued in Kumasi and signed by the Regional Secretary of the party, Offi Kyadie, the executives said Mr. Ward-Brew was expelled from the party in 1997 and is therefore, not known as the DPP's national chairman, since he has not been re-admitted into the party.

It said the press conference at which Mr. Ward Brew announced the decision to abrogate the alliance with the NDC and castigated the leadership of the NDC amounted to usurping the powers of the party's congress.

The power to decide and make the pronouncement he has made rests only with the party's national congress, which has not yet been held. The statement pointed out that legally, the decision to form an alliance or any other partnership for the purpose of "doing things in common" is the sole prerogative of the congress and that no individual can decide for the entire party to abrogate it, in such a simple manner.

The Ashanti regional leaders of the party said although the DPP has drawn the attention of the NDC to some of its concerns it does not give credence to any undemocratic or illegal pronouncement in the manner adopted by Mr. Ward-Brew.

They affirmed their support for the current group of national executives led by Mr. Dan Markin and advised Mr. Ward-Brew to use the appropriate means if he wanted to rejoin the party. Other members of the Progressive Alliance are the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the EGLE Party.