Akufo-addo Wants afoko, agyapong jailed

Vindictiveness and Divisiveness of a Flag bearer

-Surrogates drag them to Court for contempt

As part of his agenda to get party chairman, Paul Afoko and general secretary, Kwabena Agyapong out of office even before their four year mandate, three time flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, has succeeded in getting his surrogates in the Ashanti and Greater Accra region to drag the duo to the Cocoa Affairs court for contempt.

The legal suit, The aL-hAJJ has gathered, fits into a grand design by Nana Akufo-Addo and his henchmen to get the embattled National Chairman and his General Secretary jailed for failing to adhere to a supposed ‘consent judgment’ allegedly obtained from a court by known aficionados of the NPP flag bearer.

There has been long standing legal battle ongoing in three constituencies in the Ashanti region namely, Kumewu, Juaben and Manhyia North constituencies over legitimacy of elected executives. This led to the executives from the three constituencies being disallowed by the Electoral Commission to vote at the party’s delegates’ congress in Tamale in April last year.

But, ahead of the NPP Super Delegates Congress to select a flag bearer for the 2016 presidential elections, lawyer for the three New Patriotic Party members in the Kumewu, Juaben and Manhyia North constituencies who took the matter to court warned that, the party would be violating a court order, if it allows delegates from the three constituencies to vote.

According to Dr. Opoku Adusei, because an Accra Fast Track High court had declared the election of party executives in the constituencies illegitimate, until a re-run is held, delegates from the three constituencies cannot participate in any internal election.

But, sources told The Al-hAJJ’s that, unknown to the new national executive of the party and, on the blindside of everyone, a supposed consent judgment was allegedly obtained from a court, of which the Afoko led administration failed or refused to implement hence the contempt charge.

The case was yesterday called at the Cocoa Affairs magistrate court and the duo, their lawyers as well at the plaintiffs and their legal counsel were all present but, the case was adjourned to Thursday, 16th April, 2015

This latest move comes on the heels of recent revelations by this paper that the twice defeated presidential and his fanatic supporters in the NPP have vowed to get the two elected national executives out of office because they believed the duo are hampering Nana Akufo-Addo’s third and possibly, last attempt at getting the keys to the Flag Staff House.

Mr Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong, who have been tagged pro-Kufuor/Alan elements prior to the NPP’s congress to elect national officers, have also been accused of being in bed with the ruling National Democratic Congress.

A source close to the NPP’s National Executives disclosed to The aL-hAJJ over the weekend that as part of plots to remove the National Chairman and General Secretary out of office, the Nana Akufo-Addo’s forces have succeeded in getting three members of the party in the Ashanti region to cite them for contempt at the blind side of the everyone.

The plaintiffs, Kwame Owusu Ansah, Sarpong Kumankuma and Anthony Gyamfi Ameyaw, are also asking the court to declare as illegal, a statement by the NPP General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong, asking interested persons to pick up forms as part of nationwide parliamentary primaries.

Kwame Owusu Ansah, Sarpong Kumankuma and Anthony Gyamfi Ameyaw dragged Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong to court for contempt for failing to obey a court decision to re-run elections in the Juaben, Kumawu and Menhyia constituencies.

Elections in the three constituencies were marred with wrangling, forcing the National Executives to withhold its elections ahead of the NPP’s Tamale congress that elected the Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong-led administration.

The plaintiffs’ beef is that the duo had opened nominations for NPP parliamentary primaries, which is scheduled for next month, without first re-running the botched constituency elections in the three constituencies.

Legal luminaries, who spoke to The aL-hAJJ, intimated that the two beleaguered National Executives, could end being jailed unless something dramatic happens.

The duo and indeed the National Executives, according to a source, “were taken unaware as there was no petition or warning from the aggrieved plaintiffs as is normally the case, only to be served with contempt charges over the weekend”.

Though Nana Akufo-Addo is said to have assured the Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong not to despair, party insiders say it was a ruse as the two national officers of the party are likely to be convicted thereby paving the way for the closure of their political chapter in NPP politics.