Blows at CPP office

The headquarters of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) was almost turned into a boxing arena yesterday when supporters of the suspended General Secretary and the National Youth Organiser, Nii Armah Akomfrah and Ernesto Yeboah respectively, clashed with some stoutly-built men (machomen) allegedly hired by the leadership of the party.

Nii Armah and Ernesto had gone there to resume work following a report by the party’s Disciplinary Committee which cleared them of wrong doing over issues related to their suspension.

According to the committee, no charges were preferred against the suspended officers, making their continued suspension untenable.

“This committee, as a quasi-judicial body, in the absence of any such proof of ‘misconduct’ and ‘breach of party discipline,’ is unable to sanction the Respondents.

“That the Respondents, Nii Armah Akomfrah (General Secretary) and Mr. Ernesto Yeboah (National Youth Organiser) are to be reinstated in writing with immediate effect,” the committee ordered.

The two were suspended from the party by the CPP’s Central Committee for condemning President John Mahama’s receipt of a brand new Ford Expedition gift from a Burkinabe contractor, Djibril Kanazoe.

This was after the presidential candidate of the party, Ivor Kobina Greenstreet, had contradicted their position.

Unlike the two, Greenstreet saw nothing wrong with Mahama’s receipt of the vehicle, in spite of widespread condemnation by concerned Ghanaians.

But when the two got to the CPP’s Asylum Down headquarters yesterday, they were denied access by a group of machomen.

That resulted in a heated argument between their supporters, who had accompanied them to the place, and the strong men said to be acting on the strict orders of party Chairman, Professor Edmund Delle.

The Delle-led executives had earlier rejected the findings of the Disciplinary Committee chaired by Kwaw Ansah which cleared the two of any wrongdoing in the Mahama Ford Expedition saga.

But for the timely intervention of the police from Nima, something untoward would have happened, as tempers flared among trading of insults from both sides.

Later, the police had to seal off the office, rendering the CPP headquarters temporarily closed down until calm was restored.

But the office of the CPP Chairman, Prof. Delle, denied having a hand in the confusion, saying the chair did not send any machomen there to deny the two officers access to their offices.

Aide to the Chairman, Selassie Ackon, who spoke to Accra-based Citi FM said, “The National Chairman and Leader of the CPP has not, will not and cannot send thugs or machomen to prevent any party member from entering the premises of the CPP. I am saying this on authority; I am saying this as his aide.”

That, he said, was because “Chairman Delle has no negatives against any member of the CPP. He will do no such things. He was brought in as a chairman to foster unity.”

Prof Delle, in a statement after the suspension of the two, insisted that the Central Committee meant well by its decision to suspend them, justifying that with some provisions in the CPP’s constitution.