Afoko, others underestimated the balance of forces in NPP – Baako

Editor-in-Chief of the New Crusading Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako says the three suspended former national executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) namely National Chairman Paul Afoko, Second Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe and General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong have themselves to blame for the punitive action meted against them.

According to him, the three who are known strong allies miscalculated the balance of forces in the NPP, overestimated the significance of the Tamale verdict and began taking certain parochial measures as soon as they came in office, including the sacking of some officials at the party headquarters which eventually backfired.

The veteran Journalist was reacting to the indefinite suspension of his successor, Agyepong and 2nd Vice Chairman of the party, Crabbe by the NEC after a marathon meeting on Thursday, December 10, 2015.

The two were found guilty for breaching various constitutional provisions of the party by the Reverend Emmanuel Asante led Disciplinary Committee (DC) which recommended for their suspension.

The NEC having met over the issue, therefore, upheld the decision.

Speaking on Joy FM’s News analysis show News File Saturday, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako stated that the sub-culture where the three former party thought they have all the power vested in them and so resorted to taking actions not in consultation with established committees of the party caused them their woes eventually leading to the sanctioning.

“There are people who subtly forgot the tradition, convention and history of the party and begun to think that because they were Chairmen, General Secretary and Second Vice Chairman they could do whatever they wanted to do. Get the petitions, check the disciplinary proceedings get the facts and analyze and one will not be surprised at all that it was the sub-culture of indiscipline that has brought the party to this level.

He added: “I have always advocated a certain policy which I was told was quite weird of containment and progressive neutralization, leaving them in there, gather the moment especially during campaign period and they would be of no significance but they continued in their waywardness until the party had to take that extreme decision.”