Impeach Afoko, Agyapong and lose 2016 - Ephson warns

Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Ben Ephson says the New Patriotic Party (NPP) would have themselves to blame should they go ahead to impeach their National Chairman, Paul Awentime Afoko and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong.

According to the Pollster, should the duo be impeached, the party’s strong base, Ashanti Region, will vehemently react, a situation he noted, will impact negatively on the Danquah-Busia-Dombo Tradition’s chances of winning the 2016 general elections.

“I can tell you that if they try and go ahead to remove Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong, there will be ‘kukrudu’ in the party as in earthquake.”

“If they think that Kwabena Agyepong and Afoko are perceived to be Kufuor faction and so they will impeach them, they have to know that they (Afoko and Agyepong) also won an election and they also represent a constituency that will not sit down and look at them either,” Mr. Ephon noted in an interview with Fiifi Banson on Kasapa 102.3 FM on Wednesday.

A fortnight ago, the National Council of the NPP ordered the party’s Disciplinary Committee to initiate moves to suspend Mr. Paul Afoko as National Chairman for flouting the rules and regulations of the elephant family.

The Elders had suggested to the Disciplinary Committee to suspend Mr. Afoko until after the 2016 general elections.

But on Monday, September 21, 2015, the Ashanti Regional Constituency Chairmen of the party served notice to the Council of Elders to immediately consider a withdrawal of their statement asking Mr. Afoko to be suspended.

In their view, such a move was so disappointing to the flagbearer’s call for peace and unity in the party.

Some party stalwarts in the Volta Region have also condemned the action by the Council of Elders.

Mr. Ephson in his analysis of the situation told Mr. Banson that the backing of Mr. Afoko by the Ashanti Regional Constituency Chairmen should send a signal to the Elders of the party that they risk losing the votes in the region if they go ahead with their impeachment plan.

In his view, the Ashanti Region is the bedrock of the NPP in terms of politics and is one of the regions that always look up to former President John Agyekum Kufuor for directions.

According to him, ever since Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo became the flagbearer of the NPP, votes in the Ashanti Region have declined, noting that the situation will get worse if Mr. Afoko and Agyepong are impeached.

“Nana Addo can run his campaign without the two but we can only get to know the effectiveness of the campaign when the results of the 2016 general elections are read out. I have always asked the party whether they have found out from their researchers why Nana Addo’s votes keep dropping in Ashanti Region.”

“The votes keep dropping – Kufuor got 74%, Nana Addo got 72% in the 2008 first round. In 2012, he got 70%. Have they found out why the votes are dropping?”

“If they find out they will know that there is a problem in terms of Kufuor and Nana Addo faction. If there is a denial that there are no factions, fine, but Nana Addo can’t ignore the Ashanti votes as well as others.”