Air of mistrust plagues NPP

Nana Akufo Addo’s recent attempt at making a public statement on the confusion that has engulfed the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) following the cold-blooded murder of its Upper Eastern Regional Chairman, has been seen by his opponents in the party as rather a subtle call-to-action, the Republic newspaper has gathered.

Amidst violent confrontations and suspicions between pro and anti-Akufo-Addo factions in the party, the National Chairman and the General Secretary have been hounded out of their offices at the NPP’s Asylum Down Headquarters by armed party vigilantes (the Invisible Forces) said to be doing the biddings of the party’s flagbearer-Akufo Addo.

Consequently Akufo Addo, after a protracted silence over the months of violent confrontation in his party, was forced to organize a press conference to reportedly calm nerves, but party sources have told this paper that deliberately inserted subtle innuendos in his speak has rather spurred his loyalists on to get rid of all perceived anti-Akufo Addo elements-particularly Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, National Chairman and General Secretary respectively.

In his speech, Akufo Addo talked about all warring factions ‘ceasing fire’ and waiting for the National Council and other higher decision making bodies to determine the fate of the embattled top executives.

However, this paper gathered that while addressing the press conference and preaching unity, his lieutenants had deployed hordes of loyalties across the country to collect signatures that will compel the party to start an impeachment move on the chairman and general secretary.

In his speech, Akufo Addo stated: "Now that many sections of the party have spoken and made their appeals, the party structures should take over and deal with the issues that have been raised…meetings of the National Executive Committee, the body charged with the responsibility for directing the affairs of the party and, then, the National Council, the highest decision making body of the party, except for the National Delegates Conference, should be convened after the Adua prayers, to resolve the issues."

Sources close to the anti-Akufo Addo faction have said this statement was rather to encourage the impeachment process already initiated by his loyalists who are in the countryside convincing NPP members to endorse the impeachment move.

"I am confident that these bodies will act in the collective interest of the party," Akufo Addo said as he appeared to be calling for calm in the party.

The Republic newspaper can report that after the widely publicized Akufo Addo press conference, Kwabena Agyapong, Paul Afoko and other people perceived to be against Akufo Addo, cannot step foot in the party headquarters because the invisible forces are still prowling around the party office.

The flagbearer’s aides are said to have taken over all administrative duties that would have hitherto been the responsibility of the Chairman and general secretary, including correspondence with the Electoral Commission over decisions on the party’s Parliamentary elections.

Letters purportedly coming from the party general secretary to the Electoral Commission on, gave the EC approval for printing of ballot papers for the party’s parliamentary elections in a few weeks.

Incidentally, critics of Akufo Addo within the party have alleged that the parliamentary candidates approved to contest are stocked full with Akufo Addo loyalists, as he schemes to annex power in the party.

On May 27, 2015, a letter said to be coming from the party chairman and signed by him, warned the EC to be weary of the correspondents it receives from the party, saying the party has not officially submitted any Notice of Poll to the EC.

“Further to our telephone conversation this morning, this is to confirm that the party has not officially submitted Notices of Poll to the Commission. The only authorized signatories to any official communication to the Electoral Commission are the National Chairman and General Secretary,” Mr. Afoko wrote in the letter which the Republic Newspaper has intercepted.

Pro-Akufo Addo factions in the main opposition party are frantically attempting to impeach National Chairman and General Secretary for what has been viewed as their complicity in the events leading to the murder of Adam Mahama, the party’s Upper Eastern Regional Chairman.

According to widespread reports, Adam Mahama, believed to be sympathetic towards the camp of the NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo Addo, was not exactly happy recently when Paul Afoko led some NPP executives (believed to be associated with the Kufuor/Alan camp) to the Upper East Region without inviting him to be part of the meeting.

His alleged hire thugs attempted to lynch the visiting party executives. It took the timely intervention of the police to avert a potential bloodbath. The retaliatory attack from suspected anti-Akufo Addo individuals in the party resulted in the death of the Regional Chairman.

Akufo Addo is said to hold a serious grudge against Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, because he is increasingly convinced that they are working to ensure he did not win the Presidential elections in 2016.

In the build up to the violent escalations in the NPP, Akufo Addo had consistently and conspicuously refused to make issue public condemnation of members of the party that had made vitriolic statements aimed at the anti-Akufo Addo faction.

Indeed, Akufo Addo is accused of victimizing people within the NPP believed to be opposed to his leadership. There are reports of his thugs assaulting dissenters.

Recently, the Republic newspaper picked up reports that he had hired a private investigator to trail people he deemed opposed to him, including Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong whom he is reported to hold an extreme mistrust for.