The leadership of the governing New Patriotic Party in the Central Region has been asked to suspend almost all the constituency executives of the party in the Agona West for gross misconduct.

A petition to the regional disciplinary committee also accused six executives of “creating discord or factionalism within the party”.

Executives whose positions are on the line are: Mr. Joseph Afankwah (a.k.a Kojo Addo), Constituency Chairman; Mr. Yusif Maiga, Constituency Organizer; Ako Mohammed, 2nd vice Chairman; Isaac Aggrey, 1st vice chairman; Anthony Kum, Deputy Youth organizer; and Eric Dukah, Deputy Organizer.

The petitioners, Kwame Issaka and Idriss Ali Musa, said the “aforementioned persons have misconducted themselves by openly bringing the name of the party into disrepute and public ridicule”.

They therefore “pray to your high office to discipline the aforementioned Executives in accordance with article 3 F and G of the party’s constitution and any other relief that your office may deem it fit”.

According to the petitioners, the executives have also failed to rein in their associates who insult and attack members and leadership of the party using social media platforms, thereby breeding indiscipline, division and tension which has weakened the fortunes of the party in the constituency.

Find the petition below

PETITION TO SUSPEND MR. JOSEPH AFANKWAH (A.K.A) KOJO ADDO, MR. YUSIF MAIGA, MR. ISAAC AGGREY, 1ST VICE CHAIRMAN, MR. AKO MOHAMMED, 2nd VICE CHAIRMAN, ANTHONY KUM, DEPUTY YOUTH ORGANIZER, ERIC DUKAH, DEPUTY ORGANIZER AND OTHERS FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE POSITIONS AS AGONA WEST NPP CONSTITUENCY EXECUTIVES



The Claims of the Petitioners

We petition your high office, the NPP Regional Disciplinary Committee to suspend the aforementioned executives. Our basis for this petition; detailing injurious events, activities, action(s), inactions, negligence, and utterances ranging from current to previous and remote are as follows:

Violation of the duties of a member – Article 4 (7) (a) i.

Contrary to the dictates of the party’s constitution as stated in article 3 D

QUOTE-“Duties of a Member

A member shall i. Protect and promote the good name of the Party; ii. Protect the unity of the Party; iii. Be loyal and truthful to the Party; iv. Abide by and publicly uphold the decisions of the Party; v. Carry out his or her duties faithfully and with honesty to the best of his or her ability”, the aforementioned persons have misconducted themselves by openly bringing the name of the party into disrepute and public ridicule.

That without following the party’s disciplinary and grievance procedures as stated in article 4 of the party’s constitution, on 18th July, 2019 caused and or mobilized and participated in a demonstration against the decision of the regional party executives of suspending Mr. Ekow Ewusi, the central regional 1stvice chairman of the party. That in the hours of about 5:57pm on 17th July, 2019, an announcement was made on Golden Star FM, inviting all NPP members to converged at the Metro Mass Station in Agona Swedru for a march/demonstration to be held in Cape Coast.

The aforementioned persons through agents and themselves gathered and bussed some party members in about four or more buses to Cape Coast to march against a decision of the party. The purpose of that march/demonstration as seen on TV was against the regional party decision on Mr. Ekow Ewusi. We heard on various radio and TV stations of harsh words and all kinds insults and innuendoes leveled against the party and the central regional chairman, Mr. Robert Kutin.

It is our case that such announcement/invitation/calling made and or caused to be made by the Constituency Chairman, Mr. Kojo Addo and his cohorts or their agents was made out of malice, ill-motivated, divisive and ultra vires their powers. That the said announcement/ invitation/ calling/ mobilization was not sanctioned by the regional executives of the party and thus makes it supper impulsive and brash. The constituency executives cannot, without the authority of the regional executives call for a meeting or any other gathering of party members for the purpose addressing issues of the regional nature.

By the said action, they have shown to be disrespectful to the party structures. That they do not have the powers to convey such a meeting or gathering in the name of the party. Again, Mr. Yusif Maiga was seen and heard on Adom TV on the said demonstration that he is ready to cause the party to fall in the region-to wit quote -“some have been given, some of us have been given nothing, we are ready to destroy everything, we are not bothered to pour everything from the bottle so all of us suffer”. Such a statement is very dangerous and hazardous to the efforts of the party in the region.

It is aimed at causing defection, destructive and damaging the image of the party in the eyes of the public. We see the action(s) of the said executives as a misconducts; that their actions were violent, dangerous or intimidating conduct against another member of the party; – article 7 (a). That their actions were in breach of the duty to uphold publicly Party policies; – 7 (a) iv; their actions aimed at creating of discord or factionalism within the Party;– 7(a) v.

Failure to Protect the unity of the Party – Article 3 D (ii)

The leadership of Mr. Kojo Addo as the constituency chairman and that of other aforementioned executives have been a recipe for discord, factionalism, disrespect, intimidation and division within the party. They have created a culture of indiscipline within the party.

Prior to 2016 General Elections Mr. Kojo Addo and his cohorts created a very huge division and discord within party that forced the regional executives to intervened and took over the campaign till the victory was won. That Kojo Addo as the constituency chairman and some of his associates did not participate in the actual campaign and works of the party, except to join street floats organized by the then PC.

Prior the nomination of MCE, the constituency chairman, Kojo Addo and his cohorts caused to be organized a press conference attacking and accusing the General Secretary, John Boadu, the Regional Chairman, Robert Kutin and Hon. Kennedy Agyapong of taking bribe from the MP, Mrs. Cynthia Morrison. We refer you to below news item. Mr. Kojo was heard on several local radio stations opposing the decision of the president.

After the nomination of the MCE for the municipality, these same persons openly opposed the nomination of the President and overtly and covertly caused some party members to demonstrate against the Member of Parliament and the President and even cursed the party and the president in an open public. It will interest your committee to know that they went further to appoint some of these same people who openly opposed the decision of the party as constituency patrons and council of elders and other position. These are clear show of incompetent and negligence of duty. We refer you to UTV Ghana – Agona West NPP Youth Demonstrate against .

The case of negligence and laxity-causing division and hatred within the party
It is expected from the constituency chairman and his executives to be seen as uniting the party by instilling discipline and respect. It is rather the case that they sit and watch whiles some party members close to them insulting and attacking other party members on social media platforms (WhatsApp Platform) of which almost all the executives are on it. These inactions by the executives have breed indiscipline division and tension thereby weakens the fortunes of the party in the constituency. Attached are some of the insults and verbal attacks on NPP Agona West Official WhatsApp platform.

Matters of law

Judicial Precedent

We like refer to the general maxim of law that states that “all persons shall be equal before the law” and that the doctrine of stare decisis (the judicial precedent). The force of the precedents in law is sensitive by an additional factor, the curios almost universal sense of justice which urges that all men are properly to be treated alike in like circumstances. This is in article 17(1) of the 19192 constitution that the law is no respecter of persons. That other party executives/officers and members have been suspended for the same or similar misconducts and it would be unjust to ignore same.

Conclusion

It is our case that the aforementioned persons have misconducted themselves for a very long time even before 2016 elections. It is very dangerous for the party if they are allowed to continue. That they being the constituency executives who are expected to obey and respect the structures and laid down policies and procedures of the party, should not be allowed to destroy the very same system that made them. We therefore pray that they should be suspended from their respective positions in accordance the party’s rule and law.

We do so submit.

Singed….

KWAME ISSAKA
IDRISS ALI MUSA