The Upper East regional branch of the New Patriotic Party has welcomed the decision by the National Executive Committee to suspend the party’s National Chairman Paul Afoko while calling on the suspended Chairman to re-examine his leadership style.
In a statement signed by the Regional Chairman Muntala Mohammed, they accused the embattled Chairman of deliberately fomenting trouble to thwart the efforts of the flag bearer Nana Akuffo Addo and attempted running the region through person’s other than duly elected Regional Executives which resulted in a confrontation with the party in the region and had to take Regional Council of Elders’ Chairman, Colonel George Minyillah (rtd) and his members to resolve matters.
The statement further stated that the party in the region was elated by the election of Paul Afoko as Chairman of the NPP in April 2014 but gravely disappointed and sad at the modus operandi of the suspended Chairman when he finally took over as chairman of the party.
According to the statement “It was the first time a son of the region had occupied that position of gravitas in the party, and coming as it did at a time the Northern part of the Country hosted NPP National Delegate Conference for the first time, which period coincided with the 60th Anniversary of the formation of the Northern Peoples Party, one of the predecessor parties of the NPP. Hope was and justifiable so that, Mr. Afoko’s election was the beginning of greater things to come in the forward match of the party in the Upper East Region, Northern Ghana and the Country at large. Sadly however, Mr. Afoko’s assumption of office was characterized by confusion at National Headquarters of the party with the result that there was mostly visible presence of the police there, situations unbeknown in the party since its formation in 1992.”
It further commended the Disciplinary Committee for the tactful manner in which the petition against Paul Afoko was handled.
“We therefore commend the National Disciplinary Committee for their patience and the tactful manner they handle the petition against Mr. Afoko which resulted in the painful but necessary process of suspending Mr. Afoko. Not that the NPP love Mr. Paul Afoko less, but that the NPP love the Party more.
They also called on party members to “continue to remain calm and peaceful since Mr. Afoko has an opportunity to defend himself with the available channels of redress if he so wishes.”
The suspension of Paul Afoko has generated a lot of apprehension amongst the rank and file of the party with some leading members questioning the processes used in arriving at that decision. Mr. Paul Afoko has since not seized to hold himself out as National Chairman of the party.
Find Below the full statement
PRESS RELEASE
THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY (NPP)
UPPER EAST REGION WELCOMES THE SUSPENSION
OF PAUL AFOKO AS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
Not too long ago immediately after the election of Paul Afoko, as National chairman of NPP at the NPP National Delegates Conference in Tamale in April, 2014, we had the occasion of issuing a press release congratulating him on his election into that honourable capacity
It was the first time a son of the region had occupied that position of gravitas in the party, and coming as it did at a time the Northern part of the Country hosted NPP National Delegate Conference for the first time, which period coincided with the 60th Anniversary of the formation of the Northern Peoples Party, one of the predecessor parties of the NPP. Hope was and justifiable so that, Mr. Afoko’s election was the beginning of greater things to come in the forward match of the party in the Upper East Region, Northern Ghana and the Country at large. Sadly however, Mr. Afoko’s assumption of office was characterized by confusion at National Headquarters of the party with the result that there was mostly visible presence of the police there, situations unbeknown in the party since its formation in 1992.
The Upper East Region was not spared of Mr. Afoko’s stock-in-trade in causing confusion. His attempts at running the region through persons other than duly elected Regional Executives resulted in a confrontation with the party in the region and it took Regional Council of Elders’ Chairman, Colonel George Minyillah (rtd) and his members to resolve matters.
This endeavour did not last long, when so soon after the meeting with Regional Council of elders, Mr. Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong embarked on their ill-fated trip to the Upper East Region without consultation with our late Chairman, following a series of events resulting in the untimely death of the late Adams Mahama. The foregoing were the least we expected from Mr. Afoko. It was our legitimate expectation that he would emulate the leadership style of patriotic sons and daughters of the North who discharged their duties creditably when they had such opportunities. Regrettably however, Mr. Afoko chose to follow the paths of those northerners who have only brought misery and shame to our kith and ken.
In the light of the foregoing the party had no choice but to activate its Constitutional mechanism to save the party from this sloppy path Mr. Afoko was leading it to. That the party has done so much for Mr. Afoko and his family cannot be over-accentuated. With the coming into power of the party in 2001, Mr. Afoko worked at the Castle as a Presidential Staffer for nearly 8 years, his father, represented the Upper East Region as Council of State representative for 8 years, within the period under review. Who says the party does not like Paul Afoko?
The Latin Maxim cum multum datum (to whom much is given of him much is expected) is appropriate to describe the largesse Mr. Afoko and his family benefited from the NPP. What the NPP got in return from Mr. Afoko is chaos and confusion.
We therefore commend the National Disciplinary Committee for their patience and the tactful manner they handle the petition against Mr. Afoko which resulted in the painful but necessary process of suspending Mr. Afoko. Not that the NPP love Mr. Paul Afoko less, but that the NPP love the Party more. As a result we call on Mr. Afoko to do self-introspection of his leadership style since his assumption of the chairmanship of this great party for an unexamined life, they say, is not worth living. At this trying but self inflicted moment in Mr. Afoko’s political life, we do hope that he would follow the party structure to save whatever he could of his political career rather than allowing spokespersons to muddy waters for him further.
We entreat every member of the party especially in Upper East Region to continue to remain calm and peaceful since Mr. Afoko has an opportunity to defend himself with the available channels of redress if he so wishes.
Long live NPP
Long live Ghana
……………………………….. …………………………
Muntala Mohammed Cletus Innocent Ayambire
(Regional Chairman) (Regional Secretary)
0208384594 0200954444
……………………………..
Edmund Awuni
(Regional Communication Officer)
0209265714
By: Azongo Albert | A1RADIOONLINE.com | GHANA
