A former chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Harona Esseku,has suggested the suspended National Chairman of the party, Paul Afoko, was not elected on merit but through the influence of the Council of Elders.

Although Mr Afoko polled 2,034 votes to beat his closest contender, Mr Stephen Ntim who polled 1503 votes in the April 12,2014 National Delegates Congress in Tamale, Mr Esseku claimed the party influenced the voting.

He revealed in an interview with TV3 and 3FM 92.7FM that the Council of Elders found it expedient to influence the delegates to vote Mr Afoko as the chairman because the three northern regions had not had the opportunity at that high position in the party's history.

"We've had national chairmen for the party in all the regions in the south. The three regions in the north, we've not had any national chairman from there so when we got to Tamale, the elders, we got together and in the night we had agreed that afoko" be chosen, he said

NPP not in crisis

Mr Esseku who is a member of the Council of Elders also downplayed claims that the party is in crisis due to cracks in the party's rank and file.

"I don't see those problems because I have been in political parties and I have seen worst things than what is being called no peace in the NPP," he said.

He insisted that Mr Afoko and the suspended General Secretary of the party, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, were suspended for gross misconduct and not because of their affiliation to the former president John Agyekum Kufuor.

"Afoko within six months after taking office with Kwabena Agyepong. Between the two of them, they had gone to change all the names in our banks , those who control the finance, they changed them and the two of them became the most senior people to sign the cheques.

He added that a meeting was scheduled by the party which Mr Afoko was expected to attend but he did not show up, saying " when he did not come, one of our elderly ladies gave us the hint that at that moment, he [Afoko] is holding another NPP meeting in Accra."

Notwithstanding all these issues which some have interpreted as crisis, he said NPP stands a greater chance of winning the 2016 general elections.