General News of Sunday, 3 April 2005

Source: GNA

NPP expels 30 party members in Asante Mampong

Mampong (Ash), April 3 GNA - The Asante Mampong Constituency of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Executive Committee upon the recommendation of the constituency disciplinary committee (CDC) on Friday expelled 30 members from the party for various offences.

The Executive committee, announcing this, at a press conference at Mampong said the 30 members, including three constituency executives and 27 polling station executives have chequered past of creating disaffection within the party.

The expulsion decision, in line with Article three (d) and Article four, section seven of the NPP constitution was to instil discipline and foster growth and development of the party, the statement said. The expelled, included Mr. Thomas Appiah Kubi, former constituency secretary, Mr.Otis Opong Yeboah, former youth organiser and Mr. Yaw Kwakye. Constituency assistant secretary.

Others are Mr. Kwesi Boahene, Peter Kwadwo Adomako, Kwesi Asuako. C.K. Gyenfi, Kofi Nti, Nicholas Asamoah, Atta Brefo, Prince Oppong Yeboah, Charles Amaninampong, Dacosta K. Dwomoh, Steophen Fordjour , Atta Kwesi, and Yaw Agyekum, The rest are Emos Dua Agyeman, Kweku Sarpong, Kofi Frimpong, Yahaya Amofa, Kwabena Sekyere, Kwame Dwomoh, Breyie Agyemang, Atta Boamah, Issahaku Kremo, Issah Mohammed, Asare Luther, Owusu Boateng and Miss Juliana Atakorah.

The committee explained that the expelled members were recently made to appeal before the disciplinary committee to answer questions that bothered on their alleged indiscipline acts.

It said the affected people in the process vandalised and caused damage to property at the party's office, including the effigy of the President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor.

They also manhandled Mr Oheneba Kwesi Duwaah, the acting NPP Chairman who was at the scene and further threatened the lives of CDC members, the case now being investigated by the Mampong Police. It was stated that the violence erupted because the people who were invited preferred to appear before the committee in group and not on individual basis, contrary to Article four section five (b) and also opposed the recording of proceedings

Other offences prelude to their invitation to face the disciplinary committee, the statement noted, were that they had failed to protect the unity of the party, arguing that they paraded themselves as constituency executives at public gathering and had also established a parallel constituency office.

The statement said the, the people concerned had equally failed to protect and to champion the cause of the party as they disrupted an electoral commission-training workshop for political party agents in the run-up to the 2004 general elections.

It was further alleged that the expelled people had forged the signature of the constituency and regional party executives to sign application forms for party membership cards, a situation the statement described as "impersonation"

According the statement, they covertly and overtly embarked on" skirt and blouse" campaign in the 2004 election urging 'the electorate to vote for President Kufuor and against the NPP parliamentary candidate.

They also go around the constituency peddling falsehood about party executives and had thereby created discord and stimulated factionalism within the party.

Furthermore "they allegedly use the party's name to give out loans to women without the prior knowledge of the constituency executives," the statement noted

The loan as explained was 500,000 Cedis per beneficiary on paper but in reality they were given 400,000 Cedis each and are expected to pay back 500,000 cedis plus interest and not on the 400,000 cedis the women actually collected. April 03 05