I dont know DC members not qualified – Afoko

Mr Paul Afoko, the suspended New Patriotic Party (NPP) Chairman, has told an Accra Human Rights Court that his petition to the National Council (NC) was to challenge the Disciplinary Committee’s decision.

He said he was challenging the Committee for exercising the jurisdiction which was not properly invoked, and also all subsequent actions and decisions held from that.

Mr Afoko was answering questions from the defence counsel in a suit he filed at an Accra Human Rights Court challenging his suspension by the party.

Counsel for the defendants, Mr Godwin Odame asked whether he could identify which member of the NC who was not qualified to participate in the decision to dismiss his appeal, but Mr Afoko could not..

Mr Afoko said ‘I cannot identify which members are not qualified as voting members of Council because I do not have the list of attendance in that meeting’.

The defence counsel ended cross-examination, and the Counsel for Mr Afoko told the court that he had two more witnesses to present.

The presiding Judge Justice Anthony Yeboah gave both parties one week to file their legal submissions, while the two witnesses would be brought to be cross-examined on their evidence.

He later adjourned the case to June 13.

At the last sitting, the defence counsel continued cross-examination of Mr Afoko, who said the appointment of all standing committees of the National Council (NC) was done by the Council.

Mr Afoko is challenging his indefinite suspension from the party, arguing it was illegal. The NPP’s National Executive Committee suspended him in October 2015 for “misconduct.”

According to him, the action and processes leading to his suspension by some members of the party were unconstitutional and a breach of natural justice.

The decision was adopted by the party’s National Council which is the second highest decision-making body of the party after Congress, but he maintained the party erred in the decision.