Paul Afoko can do only one of two things

By Dr. Michael J.K. Bokor

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Folks, the NPP’s deposed National Chairman (Paul Afoko) will be wishing death for himself if he doesn’t cut his steps properly, now that he is at cross-purposes with the enemies within. Whatever bragging rights there are now belong to his detractors and he should tread cautiously—at least, if he wants to have his life intact and live it to the full..

Once shot down by his enemies, they won’t lift him up anymore. Once characterized as a pickpocket who has hijacked the NPP, and once disdained as the Jonah in the NPP causing the shipwreck, he won’t be accommodated but jettisoned. If he reaches Nineveh by means other than the NPP’s ship, he should thank his stars and ply his political trade there. At least, his consolation will be that reaching Nineveh is better than perishing in the desert close to the land of milk and honey.

At this point in the fight between him and those in the NPP arrayed against him, it is clear to me that nothing but death awaits Afoko if he insists on being what his destroyers say he is not. And if he insists on having his way/say in matters regarding the administration of the NPP, his fate may be worse than that suffered by Alhaji Adams Ibrahim.

The orchestrations to "cripple" him began long ago and have now crystallized to a point of no-return. Public pronouncements by those who matter in the NPP under Akufo-Addo clearly point to one conclusion: If Afoko continues rocking the boat, he will have a sad and sudden end.

The message? He should do only one of two things if he wants to still have his life intact:

1. He must accept his fate and recede to the background in the affairs of the NPP (painful though it may be to him); or

2. He should resign from the NPP and widen the distance between himself and the party (A very difficult but politically acceptable line of action if he wants to fade away and prevent anything being done to end it all for him.) Resigning from the NPP may be painful, considering the sacrifices that he is said to have made for the party (at least, if Andrew Awuni's claims are to be believed).

If he chooses the second option, I will advise him not to immediately align himself with any political party, especially the NDC; otherwise, it will confirm rumours being circulated by his detractors that he is an NDC mole working hard to ditch Akufo-Addo.

Within this context, I find it difficult to agree with him on what he intends to do:

1. Appealing his suspension at the NPP's National Council (See http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2015/October-27th/afoko-to-refer-suspension-to-npp-council-of-elders.php). He won't fly, clearly because his suspension has the blessing of all those constituting the major organs of the party. Akufo-Addo has urged all to support his suspension; so, who will sympathize with him to unwind the spool woven against him? We note also that the two weeks' ultimatum given him to take this line of action is a mere formality; it is a bait which he will fall for at his own risk of being further humiliated and marked for further punitive action.

2. Issuing press statements in his now-deflated capacity as the National Chair of the NPP (e.g., congratulating the Ivoirian President on his re-election. See http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2015/October-27th/afoko-calls-bluff-of-nec-issues-statement-for-npp.php). He seems not to know where he is, having being forced into the hole dug for him by those hating him in the very party that he adores. He has no place there any more in that capacity. So, why worry himself issuing press statements on behalf of the NPP? More than ridiculous. He is now baiting himself!!

Beyond this level, it is clear that Afoko is hurting and needs a leeway to live his life as a politician. But he will get that breather, if he can steer himself clearly away from the storm raging around him. I don't know what he thinks he can gain anymore after all this coup d’état against him.

I predict that henceforth, his detractors will pull the plug and tighten the political noose around his neck and mouth so he suffocates to death in the NPP cabal. If I were Afoko, I'd take everything in its stride and move out and on. After all, as is often said, the loss of one animal in the forest doesn't mean the death of all other animals there. He just has to know how to cut his steps, and he should find a better political home to settle in.

Another prediction. It won't take long for forces within the NPP to rise up against Freddie Blay. Those already baring their teeth that he is a CPP man and shouldn't be tolerated as Chair of the NPP have given us the inkling to see the big picture as it unfolds. When the storm rises against him, it will engulf Akufo-Addo himself and turn his campaigns into a more ridiculous one than we've seen so far. I can't wait for that moment. Let Afoko do the right thing now to pave the way for that moment.

I shall return…

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