United Front Party issues disclaimer against dissidents

The United Front Party (UFP) on Monday issued a disclaimer, in reaction to a popular acclamation appointing new regional party executives.

The disclaimer copied to Ghana News Agency (GNA) by Mr Stephen Forson, Acting Chairman and Leader of the UFP described the move as unconstitutional and claimed it was engineered by the 2012 flag bearer of the party, Mr Akwasi Addae, allias ‘Odike’.

“We are reliably informed that the said unlawful events were conducted by the suspended Deputy General Secretary, Razak Kojo Opoku, and the National Youth Organiser, Kennedy Saku and the General Secretary, Samuel Bekoe Owusu.

“I hereby plainly state that these four gentlemen have no authority whatsoever to conduct any elections per our constitution, let alone to mention popular acclamation.

“We hereby implore the rank and file of our party and the … public at large to stay calm as everything is on cause and treat the said event with the greatest contempt it deserves.

“We also caution that, because their actions were in contravention of our constitution, anyone or group of persons who has or shall have association with their action out of naivety does or shall do so at their own risk.

“We warmly wish to inform the rank and file of the party to still trust in the current legitimate regional and national executives of the party given that they are still at post until the national executive committee meets, to schedule a proper programme to elect new regional executives and subsequently have a national congress to elect national executives.”

In another development lawyers for and on behalf of the National Executive Committee of the party has reacted to the move by the former flag bearer and the four party executives.

A letter written by Abada, Dzeble and Co under: “Matters Arising in the United Front Party,” to the Electoral Commission (EC) and copied to the GNA said: “It is our instruction that the said individuals have presented a list of a so-called newly elected list of regional party executives and a resolution seeking to change the party’s constitution by presenting another so-called list of national elected executives to the Commission.”

“The said communications are in furtherance of their desire to organise a congress, which shall have the approval of the Electoral Commission.

“The instant attempt is nothing but the designs of these individuals who know that they do not have the slightest chance of winning the trust of members of the party to present themselves for any elected position and are therefore resorting to such underhand measures to subvert the will of the members of the party.”

The lawyers told the EC that as the body mandated to not only organise national elections but also to supervise intra-party elections, “your approval of any election is paramount”.

“Our client therefore deems it expedient to draw your attention to this development so as not to allow your hard won reputation to be dragged into the mud by allowing these individuals to mislead you into supporting a cause unconstitutional and illegal. We are by this letter therefore imploring you to ignore any such correspondences or communication since same is in violation of not only the party’s constitution but also the 1992 constitution as well.”

It said the party has not yet conducted regional elections let alone national elections. It stands to reason that by the defeat of the party at the last elections in 2012 the position of the flag bearer for that elections is no longer tenable and therefore any decision purportedly taken for and on behalf of the party is to that extent without any legal backing and therefore null and void.

“We count on your cooperation in our endeavour to preserve our growing democracy by preserving the democratic tenets of the United Front Party first.”