By Alhaji Alhasan Abdulai
Paul Afoko with Kwabena Agyapong
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is the largest opposition party in Ghana with a marketable presidential candidate Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo who is seen as a possible winner of the election in 2016. However if what is happening in the top echelon of the party is anything to go by then the party and its presidential candidate have a lot of work to do to win over party members and floating voters. There are many card bearing members who have vowed to remain glued to the NPP till the elections and after come what may . These people like their close competitors the National Democratic Congress NDC are many and spread across Ghana; however the party will require floating voters to add to their numbers to ensure resounding victory.
However while the presidential candidate is on a whistle stop campaign visits in all parts of Ghana to whip up support for himself and the party, the chairman of the party Mr. Paul Afoko and the General Secretary Mr. Kwabena Adjei Agyepong are constantly found in unending internal conflicts with other officials of the party such as the First vice Chairman of the party Mr. Freddy Blay and the National Treasurer of Mr. Abankwah Yeboah . The matter got so bad that Mr. Abankwah Yeboah and Mr. Freddy Blay were reported to the police for allegedly diverting party funds into a hidden Bank account . But the accused persons came out to explain away the issues involved leading to the matter being left with the NPP hierarchy to deal with it as an internal matter. While these wrangling were ongoing, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo advised the entire members of the party to desist from discussing conflicts within the party in the media but this fell on deaf ears as some party members went on to discuss their disagreements on air at prime hours to the disappointment of members of the NPP and their sympathizers. Currently worse things are happening. While some people believe that the presidential candidate has sidelined the general secretary and chairman of the party in his campaign tour which the general secretary Mr Kwabena Agyepong came out to confirm, there is an allegation that the General Secretary and the chairman have accepted bribes to sabotage the party . Additionally the alleged bad conduct of the chairman of the party has led to the council of elders making a request that the chairman of the party be suspended till after the 2016 elections. This is serious as it sounded as an outright dismissal. This created a crack in the party leading to a backlash with some youths in the northern parts of Ghana warning that they would take action against the party if the party chairman is sent on a long suspension. The latest happening within the party is that the National Chairman and General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party are facing fresh internal enquiry for allegedly creating an unauthorized platform to fraudulently collect funds from party members around the world.
This followed the issuance of a statement by the national chairman announcing the launch of the online platform, www.nppcentre.org to both register NPP members and raise funds ahead of the 2016 elections.
However, the National Treasurer of the party, Abankwa Yeboah who once had his back to the wall says the fundraising portal is fraudulent and not authorized by the NPP. And that some members of the party who were lured to use the platform have already filed an official report with the police leading to the party’s national council and executive committees hinting that they will launch a probe into the issue. This move may take some time eroding support
Except those who wish to play the ostrich the issues within the party are serious and require solution within the shortest possible time. If not the NPP which is gunning for power in 2016 may no longer be attractive to its own sympathizers and floating voters who may torn between voting for the party or staying put for being confused.
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