Politics of Tuesday, 25 January 2005

Source: GNA

Restrain Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa MP NPP leadership urged

Breman Asikuma (C/R), Jan 25, GNA - A total of 31 members in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa constituency have called on the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to restrain Mr P C Appiah-Ofori, MP for the area from actions likely to cause disunity within the party.

In a letter of protest to the National Chairman of the Party signed by 31 members, they asked the MP to stop hiding behind the nine executive members to make "unruly and non factual outbursts" on some radio stations.

Speaking to the GNA, Ms Phyllis Nyarko, spokesperson for the group described the nine executives as "agents" of the MP who had targeted the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Sampson Kwame Anfako and some members of the party for "no reason".

She said the protest copied to the media, expressed concern about the MP's behaviour and said he was maligning the DCE instead of thanking Mr Anfako for his hard work.

Ms Nyarko attributed the massive win of the NPP and Mr Appiah-Ofori in the last December elections to the hard work of the DCE and called on the MP to "leave Mr Anfako alone to continue his good work to improve the living standards of the people".

She noted that during President J A Kufuor's visit to the District in November, last year, "everything was set to move the constituency in unity resulting in the landslide victory for the party".

Just after the elections, the MP instituted a Disciplinary Committee, which summoned some members and the DCE to answer non-existent charges levelled against them, she stated. She said that none of the people summoned appeared but the constituency the nine executives wrote to the DCE that they could not work with him.

The National and Regional Executives should restrain the MP from dividing the ranks of the party to consolidate the grip of the NPP on the constituency to move the District forward. The letter made available to the GNA appealed to President Kufuor to retain Mr Anfako to continue his dedicated service to ensure peace, stability and continuity in the District.