NPP ‘absolutely’ united - Hamid

The opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is completely united ahead of this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections, Mustapha Hamid, spokesperson for NPP flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, has said.

This assertion is a reaction to comments made by President John Dramani Mahama during the launch of the 2016 campaign of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) at Cape Coast on Sunday August 14.

Mr Mahama had said: “The soul of the party [NPP] has been captured by the hawkish and intolerant fringe and this group has cowed the moderates and other level-headed members of the party into silence.

“The verbal abuse has led to a culture of silence in the party and even though the emperor is wearing no clothes, everybody is afraid to tell him so. The party has become intolerant of dissenting opinion and those who have spoken out have been promptly dealt with, removed from office, and threatened with physical harm.”

But speaking in an interview with Emefa Apawu on Class91.3FM’s 505 news Monday, August 15, Mr Hamid said in the case of the suspension of Paul Afoko as National Chairman of the NPP, the court had affirmed that the NPP had acted according to law in suspending Afoko.

“That is what the court has said today… Assuming this judgment was given yesterday, I wonder what he [President Mahama] would have said because the court of Ghana has declared that the NPP acted constitutionally and according to law…the suspensions were according to law,” the lecturer stated.

“…Therefore, we are a rule-of-law society and we (NPP) should be applauded and…that is the reason why Ghanaians should vote for us so that we will continue to implement and ensure that laws are obeyed in this country. …People have scandalised our courts, threatening to rape our Chief Justice, and those people have been put into jail. Are they not the ones writing petitions saying that those people should be freed? Are these people who want us to go according to law?”

Emefa: “So Mustapha are you saying the NPP as it stands is united?”

Mustapha: “Absolutely, read my lips.”