NPP's internal fight gets dirty as...

Afoko, Agyepong fear impeachment

As the stand-off between National Chairman, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party and other bigwigs of the party rages, information filtering into the office The aL-hAJJ indicates that embattled Chairman, Paul Afoko and his beleaguered General Secretary Kwabena Adjei Agyepong are leaving in fear over immoral moves to remove them and prematurely end their tenure in office.


Party insiders narrated to this paper how Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong are bitterly complaining to close associates and friends how some party linchpins, most of whom never wished they won their respective posts, are working hard to have them impeached; obviously relying on the present popularity of the party’s 2012 flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.


Sources close to the duo told The aL-hAJJ, the National Chairman and General Secretary are privy to ongoing talks and meetings among some likeminded persons in the NPP to get rid of them.


According to one source, those scheming to get the two party leaders impeached are enraged over what they believed to be their unbending and well-rehearsed strategy to throw a spanner into the NPP’s former presidential candidate’s third-time bid.


What have confirmed the suspicion of the two embattled party leaders’ of moves to impeach them, according to the sources was recent deliberate and reckless pronouncements by some prominent and influential members of the party, who are mostly loyalists of the twice-defeated NPP presidential candidate.


Amongst them was the recent outburst by self-acclaimed NPP financier and ringleader in Nana Akufo-Addo’s campaign that the tenure of Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong will be short-lived if they continue to take decisions intended to undermine Nana Akufo-Addo.

In his usual brush and bragging posture, the Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyepong, some days ago exclaimed on Asempa Fm that “Anytime you see Alan’s group contributing to the party, it’s just to destroy the party, but we will not give them chance, why! Kwabena can’t do “FOKO”; Paul Afoko can’t do s**! We are not afraid of anybody; let them try.”


He added that “I’m tired, I’m sick of Kwabena Agyapong. I can’t defend him again; I will use the same way I campaigned for him to kick him out. I don’t know where he gets his influence from; he has goofed this time,” he stressed. I’m so disappointed in Kwabena; he is a very smart gentleman but I don’t know what has come over him. He is finished, I swear to you. If he continues like this, he will not last even six months in office.”


However, in their usual resoluteness, Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong despite accusations of doing the bidding of Alan Kyeremanten, have sworn to resist any attempt to cut their tenure in office prematurely, insisting “unless the mindless fellows involved in this dangerous and sinister move want a return to 1979…, that is to break-up the party even before the 2016 elections.”


Among party stalwarts believed to be behind this plot include former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana School Feeding Programme in the Kufuor administration, Dr Amoako Tuffuor; vice Chairmen, Hon Freddy Blay and F. F. Antoh and Chairman of NPP constitutional committee, Prof Mike Oquaye.


Others mentioned include a former Minister of State in charge of Interior, Nana Obiri Boahene, Ashanti and Northern regional Chairmen, Bernard Antwi Bosiako and Bugri Naabu and the Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Ohene Adjepong among others.


Interestingly all those linked to the anti-Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong crusade are key players in Nana Akufo-Addo’s third term bid. Though the NPP’s constitution debars party executives from openly endorsing a flag bearer aspirant, F.F. Antoh, Freddy Blay, Chairman Wontumi and Bugri Naabu have sidestepped the constitution and have publicly pledged support for Nana Akufo Addo.

Indeed, F.F. Antoh and Freddy Blay have on countless occasions berated Chairman Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong in the media for taking administrative measures without consulting them, a move many in the Nana Addo camp believe was as a result of the National Chairman and General Secretary’s anti-Akufo-Addo stance.


Aside coming openly to endorse Nana Akufo-Addo, Northern Regional Chairman, Bugri Naabu on several occasions publicly tongue-lashed Paul and Kwabena Agyepong. Last week, he announced he was going to set up a committee to fish out party delegates in the northern region who voted against Nana Akufo-Addo in the super delegates’ congress to prune down the flag bearer aspirants from 7 to 5.


But sources close to Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong told The aL-hAJJ that the duo have sworn to resist any such attempt to dislodge them, quoting them as saying “we were duly elected by the rank and file of the New Patriotic Party members and no individual or group of individuals can arrogate to themselves such wicked powers”.


They are also reported to have cautioned that if only those crusading for their impeachment want to re-enact the 1979 episode which resulted in the break-up and rivalry between the Popular Front Party (PFP) and the United National Convention (UNC) which saw power slipped from the jaws of the Danquah-Busia tradition, then they “should bring it on.”