‘Operations Get Afoko, Agyapong Out’

The raging fireworks in the opposition New Patriotic Party is expected to cut the life wire and plunk it into obscurity if elements within the party desirous of employing all means possible to kick out Party Chairman Paul Afoko and General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong from office do not fold up, an analyst has warned.

According to the political analyst, supporters of the NPP will do themselves a great favor by putting up with the two topmost officers of the party on whose laps the management of the party rest, or risk paying the price for a similar fate their forbears suffered in the run-up to the 1979 elections.

In an exclusive interview with The aL-hAJJ on condition of anonymity, the astute analyst stated that the present tension in the party demands cool heads to calm down tensions not what opponents of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong are postulating.

Following last week violent cash at the NPP’s headquarters coupled with the spate of dismissals by the General Secretary and mistrust of the National Executive members, some supporters of the party, largely believed to be admirers of Nana Akufo-Addo are calling for the suspension or impeachment of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong.

They are of the opinion that the wholesale dismissal of persons occupying non-elected positions at the party’s headquarters are clear signs of the two top elected executives’ inexorable agenda to work against the party’s twice defeated presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo.

Proponents of this idea argued that officials who have been sacked so far from the party’s headquarters are perceived assigns of Nana Akufo-Addo, and as such their ousting was to make way for persons believed to be aficionados of flag bearer aspirants Alan Keyeremanten.

Key proponents advocating for the removal of the Chairman and General Secretary from office for not yielding to the dictates of Nana Akufo-Addo is the self-acclaimed financier of the NPP and MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Adjepong.

Wading into the ongoing strife in the party in his usual bragging, conceited and abusive posturing, Kennedy Agyapong, while addressing executives of 26 constituencies warned "if they (Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong) joke with the party, they should mark it on the wall, they won't last a year; they will be removed."

The Assin Central MP, who takes delight in verbally attacking political opponents in the media to court popularity, accused the two party executives for allowing themselves to be used by senior party executives as canons of destruction to Nana Akufo-Addo’s fourth flag bearer bid.

To further aggravate the tension in the party, Kennedy Agyepong, who is the ranking member of the Communications Committee in Parliament, accused former Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani and former Roads and Transport Minister, Dr Richard Anane, all in the Kufuor administration, as being behind the party’s troubles.

He said Mr Mpiani and Dr Anane have made it an article of faith to scuttle any attempt by Nana Akufo-Addo in climbing to the highest office of the land; hence they are goading Mr Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong on to take “destructive” decisions that will disrupt the party and deny the Akyem Septuagenarian of becoming president after 2016.

Prior to this, a former deputy national women organizer and failed vice national chairman aspirant, Hajia Fati, has warned that if Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong do not desist from taking decisions aimed at undermining Nana Akufo-Addo’s chances of becoming president, she will lead a national campaign for them to be removed from office.

While the party’s constitution back the National Chairman and General Secretary to take the decisions they took by ousting the Financial Director and asking the acting Communications Director to proceed on leave, other members of NEC aside Sammy Crabbe and Otiko Afisa Djaba, have gone on radio to openly berate Mr Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong.

A vice Chairman, F. F. Antoh had this to say “Kwabena Agyepong is appointing his friends to positions in our party. His methods of dismissals are inappropriate. He doesn’t listen to advice. He doesn’t have any power to make those appointments. He should be prepared to respect the people he is working with; he doesn’t know our party people so he can’t even make good appointments.”

But in strongly worded statement from far away Sweden to showcase the propensity of division among the NEC members, 2nd vice Chairman, Mr Sammy Crabbe, took exception to the conducts of the other executives chastising the Chairman and General Secretary in the media.

“I trust my colleagues and I respect the delegates who elected them and understand that I do not have to be consulted at all times! I am NOT the Chairman I am NOT the General Secretary. I will support and protect them PUBLICLY at all times and express misgivings STRONGLY in private!” he stated

These developments among other things the political analyst is forecasting could lead to the breakup of the party, especially if assigns of Nana Akufo-Addo decide to take advantage of their numbers in the NEC to remove the Chairman and General Secretary from office before their stipulated term in office.