Politics of Saturday, 22 October 2005

Source: Palaver

NPP Guru threatens court action (Tamale)

The incumbent Northern Regional Chairman of New Patriotic Party (NPP), Alhaji Abdul-Rahaman C.O.P, has threatened to file a suit against the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Haruna Esseku for declaring Mr. Bugri Daniel Naabu as a member of the party.

He said as far as he knows, Dan Bugri Naabu was not qualified to contest for any position in the party, adding that he (Daniel) resigned from the party at the time the party was in difficult situation.

According to him, Daniel Naabu who resigned from NPP without any tangible reason(s) to the party executives, has been declared by the National Chairman as a paid up member of the party, and therefore, qualified to contest for any position of his choice.

Alhaji Abdul-Ramadhan also expressed his disappointment at the actions of the National Chairman, saying that he (Haruna) was aware that Bugri Naabu has been doing nothing to support the party and would not be able to deliver when given the nod.

He, however, stated categorically that, as a peace loving chairman who understands that development rests on peace, he will not allow the NPP to fall into the hands of unscrupulous persons who are seeking position for their selfish interest and anti-peace loving persons whose campaign messages are abusive, insulting and misleading.

He advised supporters of the party to be on the alert and not allow themselves to be deceived by unkind members of the party who are seeking the post for their selfish gains.

Once again that the NPP in the north would be doing themselves a great harm and disservice if they allow the leadership of the NPP to fall into the hands of party opportunists.

(Enquirer, Monday 17-19 October, 2005, Front Page)

NPP DCE hooted at and booed off (Takoradi)

The District Chief Executive for Ahanta, Mr. Kwesi Biney, who had been accused of arrogance and disrespect by his own traditional rulers and assembly members last week Saturday had a rude shock of his life when he was insulted, hooted at and booed off during the Effia-Kwesimintsim constituency delegates congress of the NPP held in Takoradi last Saturday.

It all started when Biney began addressing the eighty-one delegates from the 81 polling stations. He started his delivery by asking the delegates to unite to see the victory for the party in 2008. But then he suddenly went off track and started casting insinuations on the publisher of The Chronicle Newspaper though he did not directly mention names, a local boy who is highly revered in the community.

somebody wanted to run as parliamentary candidate of the constituency and as such was putting up candidates to contest the various positions within the party. Where was he, when the party was in opposition and we wanted people to run as MPs. Now the food is well cooked and he wants to eat, let him come and eat"

He continued that he would campaign against the person he was afraid to mention his name and the NPP party should he run as MP of the constituency.

Obviously the delegates who were not happy with the remarks being made by Biney rose up from their various seats and started insulting, hooting and booing at him thus ending his delivery abruptly.

He resumed his seat without anyone asking him to do so after assessing the anger of the delegates who used all kinds of unprintable words against him. Others streamed out to try and physically engage him.

(Chronicle, Monday, October 17, 2005, Front Page)

NPP Chairman has failed the NPP (Tamale)

A leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Tamale Metropolis (name withheld), has asked Mr. Harona Esseku, the National Chairman of the party, to retire honourably and allow Messrs Steven Ntim and Peter Mac Manu to wrestle for the position.

According to the NPP top gun, the Chairman has no moral justification to ask delegates for re-election nor does he have the authority to direct Mr. Ntim and Mac Manu to eye different positions in the party.

He contended that, there was a huge backlog of unaddressed issues during his tenure that affected the chances of the party, particularly, in the by-elections at Asawase and Odododiodoo, which confirmed that Mr. Esseku had failed the NPP and did not deserve another chance whatsoever.

(Chronicle, Monday, October 17, 2005, Page 9)

NPP Congress threatened with disruption (Nima-Accra)

The Ayawaso East Constituency branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) held its constituency delegates congress at Nima at the weekend during which it elected new executives officers for a four year term.

The run-up to the elections was characterized by mixed feelings and petty squabbles among some party members, and by threats to disrupt the election.

The ensuing misunderstanding as to whether two delegates from the Nima West polling station both claiming the chairmanship of the area should be allowed to vote or not led to some party members threatening to disrupt the congress, if the two were disqualified.

It took heavy police presence and some regional executive officers of the party to calm down tempers.

(Daily Graphic, Monday, October 17, 2005, Page 15)

NPP PERCEIVED AS Ashanti party (Kumasi)

Mr. George Ayisi Boateng, a petroleum dealer in Kumasi, has declared his intention to contest the Ashanti Regional Chairmanship position of the NPP when the party goes to congress later this month.

According to Mr. Ayisi-Boateng, looking at the situation where some constituency chairmen have ganged up against the incumbent chairman and calling for his exit, it was appropriate that he stepped in to save the situation.

At age 59 and a native of Akuapim Akropong in the Eastern Region, Mr. Boateng told the Graphic that he wanted to put his service at the disposal of the party he loved so much and which he was a character in its formation.

He said for now the party was unfortunately perceived as an Ashanti party even though the top hierarchy of the party did not portray, and that even in Ashanti Region itself too it did not seem to be so.

Quoting the Constitution to buttress his assertion as to why the NPP as a true national party could not be ethnocentric, Mr. Ayisi-Boateng said that was why when the incumbent completed his second term in office, "I thought I deserve to be the next to ascend the throne instead of another Ashanti coming".

(Daily Graphic, Tuesday, October 18, 2005, page 17).

NPP election fraught with lies (Tamale)

The struggle for the chairmanship of the NPP in the Northern Region is getting keener and hotter.

This time the incumbent regional chairman of the party, Alhaji Salifu C.O.P, has launched his campaign in Tamale with a call on the teeming supporters to be wry of "opportunists" within the party??He observed that the struggle for the position of regional chairman was fraught with divisive tendencies and lies which he noted posed serious threats to peace within the party and the region at large.

"I wish to state that the rank and file of the NPP will be doing themselves a great disservice if they allow the leadership of the party to fall into the hands of celebrated opportunists", Alhaji Salifu pointed out??

"If the situation of the party in the region was a story of hopelessness and without direction I don?t think people would have risked to come near it", he stressed.