Say sorry for forgiveness - Prof Ocquaye to Crabbe

Suspended Vice Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Sammy Crabbe should express remorse over his actions against the party and the executives of the party could consider re-instating him, Chairman of the NPP’s Legal and Constitutional Committee, Professor Mike Ocquaye has indicated.

The Former second Deputy Speaker holds the view that Mr Crabbe should take the path of regret before embarking on any reconciliation processes.

“I attended a Catholic school and they used to say that you must regret before you are forgiven. When you pronounce on your own wrong and acceptance, of course [the party will consider it]. It has happened before, a National Chairman, Mr Esseku, today he is in a very good standing with the party. He has been suspended before, but if you want to adopt a different attitude, of course the party, too, will know what to do. The party will move on, we all know that if he [Mr Crabbe] expresses regret, people will speak for you,” he told Class FM’s Court Correspondent Nabil Ahmed Rufai on Thursday June 2.

This was shortly after the Human Rights Court in Accra threw out Mr Crabbe’s suit against his party, NPP, to challenge his suspension.

The Court presided over by Justice Dennis Adjei said Mr. Crabbe's refusal to appear before the disciplinary committee of the NPP after they invited him constituted a waiver of his right to a fair hearing and the rules of natural justice.

The court, therefore, said the application fails in its entirety and same is dismissed.

Mr Crabbe was suspended after two members of the party, Mr Boye Laryea and Ms Gladys Tsotso Mann-Dedey, filed a complaint against him for allegedly uttering words in the media that had the potential to bring the party’s name into disrepute.

He was accused of saying he could not work with the executive members who had been asked to stand in for the national chairman and the general secretary, Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong, who had been suspended earlier.

Mr Crabbe, who described his suspension as an act of lawlessness by "coup makers" within the party, resorted to the court for remedy.

However, Prof Ocquaye sees Mr Crabbe’s actions as unacceptable; as he pointed out that every member of the party is subject to discipline, including executives.

“You are not subject to discipline? If they say that the National Disciplinary Committee has jurisdiction over all matters in the party, you are also a member of the party. Now the court has upheld and those who did not know, now they know that nobody can do what they like in the party just because you are chairman or vice chairman or whatever position,” he emphasised.