It is now emerging that among the “welcome messages” suspended National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Mr. Paul Afoko received following his resounding victory at the Tamale Congress was a threatening message from a cousin of Nana Akufo Addo, the party’s 2016 flag bearer, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko.
Before Mr Afoko could settle down to start work as National Chairman, the former Executive Director of the Danquah Institute Mr Afoko alleged, sent him threatening messages; warning that that he (Afoko) should not do anything to hurt the chances of Nana Akufo-Addo’s possibly last attempt at the presidency.
Mr Afoko’s startling revelation is captured in the report of the Nana Ohene Ntow committee. The committee was constituted to investigate a supposed NPP dormant account at ECOBANK which was allegedly reactivated by then 1st vice chairman, Freddy Blay and National Treasurer, Kwabena Abankwa Yeboah without the prior knowledge of their colleague National Executives.
Part of the report, a copy of which is in possession of The aL-hAJJ reads "Mr Afoko told the committee that on one occasion Mr Gabby Asare Okyere Darko sent him threatening messages to the effect that after becoming chairman he should not attempt to fight what he Gabby called the POWERS".
Mr Afoko’s submission dovetails into revelations by 2nd vice chairman of the NPP, Sammy Crabbe when he appeared before the Ohene Ntow committee and a committee set up by NPP Minority in Parliament to investigate the same issue.
Mr Crabbe in an astonishing exposé disclosed to the committee that plots to hound Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong out of the NPP was long hatched even before their election into office.
According to the report "The 2nd Vice Chairman of the party Mr Sammy Crabbe in his testimony to the committee literally shocked committee members when he revealed that soon after the 2014 National Executive Elections in Tamale, a gentleman whom Mr Crabbe would not name but simply described as a fierce loyalist of the flag bearer invited him to a meeting to as the 2nd Vice Chairman put it "recruit" him to undermine the National Chairman and General Secretary.”
The report added “This agenda was to render them ineffective in any effort they will make to sabotage the Flag bearer's campaign to win the 2016 presidential election. Mr Crabbe revealed to the committee further that the gentleman in question explained that as pro-Kufour and anti Akuffo Addo elements, the presence of the National Chairman and General Secretary at the helm of the party's affairs could jeopardize Nana Akuffo Addo's chances of winning the 2016 presidential election if they are not kept in check. Mr Crabbe told the committee that he declined to cooperate with the person and his group because in the words of Mr Crabbe "that will be a sure recipe for rather losing the elections".
He repeated similar assertions when he appeared before the committee set up by minority in parliament to investigate the bickering in the party.
Excerpts of the minority report reads
"...subsequent to the initial overture, another group comprising mainly of Regional Chairmen, notable among whom were Mr Bugri Naabu and Alhaji Short, Regional Chairman of Northern and Upper West respectively invited him (Sammy Crabbe) for a meeting in Mr Bugri Naabu's office and pleaded passionately with him (Mr Crabbe) that since they all supported his bid to become the 2nd. Vice Chairman of the party he should all support their agenda to undermine the Chairman and General Secretary. Mr Crabbe said he told the group that, were that agenda going to help the party win the elections, he would have lent his support to it. Since he (Crabbe) was certain that this would rather hurt party unity and thereafter jeopardize the party's chances of winning, he still refused to cooperate with the plan. "I don't believe that is the way to win power", if I did, I would have gone along with the plot. Those who appear to be going against the chairman and the General Secretary in my view have accepted to undermine the two leaders of the party,” he said.
A source close to the suspended NPP National Chairman confirmed to this paper that Gabby, as he is affectionately called Indeed, warned Mr Afoko not to attempt “to do anything stupid against Nana Akufo-Addo having been elected National Chairman”.
According to the source “can you imagine, under less than six weeks into Paul Afoko’s stay in office, Gabby picked on Mr Afoko, warning him to comport himself or have himself to blame…what did Paul do or say in the six weeks or so for Gabby to have sent him search threatening message?”
The source could not fathom what crime Mr Afoko had committed in his first six weeks in office that Gabby would be compelled to send him such veiled threat?
The former DI Director’s warning, according to the source, was later to gain credence leading to the indefinite suspension of Mr Afoko.
Mr Afoko, General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong and 2nd Vice chairman Sammy Crabbe have all been suspended indefinitely by the Disciplinary Committee of the biggest opposition party for breaching some sections of the party’s constitution.
Prior to their suspension, the trio was accused of being in bed with the governing National Democratic Congress plotting against Nana Akufo-Addo’s chances in the November 7 general elections. Mr Afoko in particular was singled out as deliberately taking ill-fated decisions to hurt the chances of the 2016 NPP flag bearer.
However, both Afoko and Sammy Crabbe have rubbished their suspensions and are in court seeking to reverse the decision of the Disciplinary Committee.
The suspended National Chairman in a recent interview said he is still recognized as the Chairman by the majority of party executives, despite the fact that he has been stripped of his position. “All the regions, polling station executives, constituency executives, regional executives are constantly interacting with me,” he stated.
According to him, some of these executives run to him for counsel whenever they have issues within the party at their various levels.
“They call me chairman and even lay their problems before me and we discuss them too, and all I tell them is that we should just pray for the court to give us justice and the rest will follow. Once we get justice the rest will follow,” he added.
His comment is against the backdrop of the fact that the party has appointed 1st vice Chairman and Akufo-Addo ally, Freddy Blay as acting National Chairman.
