File photo
Disagreements within the camp of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) will not be a consideration for the electorate as Ghana goes to the polls later in 2016, says Paul Collins Appiah Ofori, a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa.
The NPP has been beset with internal troubles, the major fallouts being the murders of its Upper East regional chairman, Adams Mahama in Tamale and party activist Abubakar Saddique at Asawase, as well as the suspension of party chairman Paul Afoko, general secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, and second vice-chairman Sammy Crabbe for actions deemed to have undermined the chances of party flagbearer Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as far as winning the elections due in December 7, 2016 are concerned.
The party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra had also been the scene of conflict and violence in the last two years, with the party seemingly divided along pro-Akufo-Addo and pro-Kufuor-Alan Kyeremanten lines.
There has been relative peace in the leading opposition party’s camp since the beginning of this year, though calls have been made to the party to reinstate suspended executives if it is to have a chance of winning the polls.
But the ex-legislator and anti-corruption crusader is adamant that past troubles will not cost the party victory at the polls as Ghanaian voters, he said, will base their decisions on their current living conditions.
“It is not the misunderstanding at the party headquarters that will be a basis for voting. Ghanaians will make a decision after assessments of their quality of life,” he told Chief Jerry Forson on Accra100.5FM on the station’s morning show, Ghana Yensom.
He said the cost of living in the country was on the rise and citizens could barely afford basic necessities while failing to meet responsibilities including the payment of bills and school fees.
According to him, these issues would influence how Ghanaians vote at the polls rather than what differences lie between the NPP and any disgruntled executive.
