Why Afoko, Agyepong And Sir John Must Not Be Voted For

In the run up to the April 12th Congress of the New Patriotic Party, several text messages are flying around concerning aspiring candidates. A few ones that I have intercepted include the following

“A nationwide survey conducted by the NPP WATCH concerning the NPP National Elections in respect to the chairmanship race as at 2st March, 2014 is as follows: Jake 7%, Ntim 17%, Paul Afoko 26%, and Fred Oware 41%, Undecided 9%. Watch out for more.” Another reads “Don’t fall into the traps of some greedy rich politicians with past glory to now use Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong to snatch party’s executive power to frustrate Nana Addo’s candidature in 2016. He hates Nana & Bawumia but is using their names to get votes. Their agenda is to see Nana loose in 2016 so they can further their choice of candidate in 2020. Tel your fellow delegate”

I also came across this “Don’t believe Afoko, he does not love Nana. He is only using Nana Addo’s name for campaigning because Nana is more popular. He hated Aliu Mahama and now he wants us, the northerners to vote for him. He deserted us when we needed him. We cannot sacrifice our future for him.”

As if that wasn’t enough, I also got this “Dear delegates, Kwabena Agyepong, Sir John and Afoko are the most arrogant persons in this year’s contest. Ask any senior member and you will realize this observation for yourself. The three contestants should be rejected or else they will hinder our chances in 2016. ”

These and many more other messages prompted me to conduct an independent enquiry about the three candidates mentioned in the intercepted messages: Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyepong and Sir John.

The obvious question that came to mind was why is majority of the party people firing missiles from all angles of the party against these three, and the answers were not far-fetched.

On Paul Afoko’s candidature, I found out that the grass root base of the party were among others worried about the fact that, the party cleared him not based on any formal response from the Interpol and were wondering who is blowing the hot air about his exoneration. “Is it his own creation?” one desperate delegate asked. To many, the conjecturing that he has paid his way through the NEC gives credence that Afoko will contest the elections without any genuine political authority.

Other serious and mind boggling questions were asked about Afoko, and as serious as they maybe I still cannot help but throw them up for general consideration by all.

For instance, many are those who would like to know what Paul Afoko’s rehabilitation in the UK was about, is it that he possess some mad instincts which perhaps confirms his quick and uncontrolled temperament as well as his dismissive tendencies to anyone who seek to advise him.

The rank and file of the party who do not “know” him much is deeply worried about his source of wealth; whether from NPP or NDC sources and to them it appears an “unknown” face is trying to buy the NPP through Afoko.

Credible information filtering in also indicates that, party people are worried about alleged plans by some of the aspirants to dish out monies with impunity so as influence delegates to vote in a particular direction. They would however experience the shock of their lives as many of the delegates have plans of collecting the monies and voting against them.

Interestingly, some party members have the notion that, Afoko’s expenditure comes from the party’s left-over campaign funds after the 2008 elections. Others believe an NDC treasurer and former ambassador is backing him and Kwabena Agyepong respectively. These are just a few of the many more unanswered questions boggling the minds of party people, and Afoko and his contemporary candidates should try to provide answers in the next few days.

For me as a northerner, what surprised me the most, is the allegation that there is a grand design to ensure that the agenda 2020, which is seeking to make our “own” Bawumia, the party’s flag bearer, should not succeed and that Afoko is been planted in the national executive committee as the master planner of this diabolical agenda, quite unfortunate!!!

Perhaps this might be the only reason why I would personally not like or vote for Afoko.

If my memory serves me right, this same Afoko allegedly shared monies to northern delegates to vote against Nana Addo in 2006 during the party’s delegate’s congress to elect a flag bearer, how then could we trust such a character?

At the same time he campaigned strongly against his “own” countryman Alhaji Aliu Mahama then vice president as he sought to become the party’s flag bearer.

As for Kwabena Agyepong, the little said about him the better because many view his attitude and behavior as politically incorrect; very arrogant, self-centered and looks down on ordinary party people, especially northerners

Sir John is another candidate that the delegates are not too sure off. They claim he has also become so arrogant and feels on top of the party. He has no respect for anybody and he might be punished for that.