NPP feuding Parties To Dialogue

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, invited both parties in the impasse over the purported removal of Mr Acheampong Adum, the Akropong Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from office to Koforidua on Wednesday for amicable settlement.

The minister took the initiative when he met both the constituency executive and polling station chairmen on Sunday.

The meeting, which was attended by Mr William Ofori Boafo, the Member of Parliament for the area, who is also the Deputy Minister for Defence, the Regional Chairman of the party, Nana Kofi Adi Ankamah, his deputy, Sub Lt Christian Kofi Tettey, was to acquaint themselves with the problem and see how best to resolve it.

Mr Barimah said although in every democratic institution, internal differences could not be ruled out, it would be in the interest of the NPP to peacefully resolve such differences at all levels so that its opponents would not capitalise on them to advance their interests.

He therefore asked the rank and file of the party to unite and forge ahead to enable the NPP to consolidate its present position and win the 2008 elections to continue with its good work.

Sub Lt Tettey and Mr Boafo called for calm and said efforts were being made by the opposition parties, especially the National Democratic Congress (NDC), to cause confusion in the NPP and that they should beware of such instincts so that they would not divide them.

In his introductory remarks, Nana Adi Ankamah expressed regret about the issue and asked the aggrieved members and executive to allow their grievances to be addressed by the party?s internal mechanisms as enshrined in its constitution.

He asked them to refrain from resorting to press publications, since that would not augur well for the party.

It would be recalled that at an emergency constituency delegates conference at Mamfe on May 14, 2005, Mr Adum was relieved of his position as constituency chairman for his alleged involvement in malpractices.

The delegates conference was, however, described in a memorandum from the constituency secretariat to polling station chairmen as the work of disgruntled elements within the constituency executive body, who had arrogated to themselves executive powers they did not have to cause confusion and chaos within the rank and file of the peaceful and constitutionally elected body of the party.