The rift between Nkrabeah Effah Dartey and his party the New Patriotic Party, NPP is interesting as it is puzzling.
Nkrabeah Effah Dartey is challenging the NPP for disqualifying him from contesting the Presidential slot of the party, allegedly because of a crime he committed against the state when he was a military officer in the 1980’s.
According to the NPP vetting committee that disqualified Effah Dartey, he was found guilty by a General Court Martial for committing a crime against the security of the state but Effah Dartey denies this.
According to him he was arrested on February 5 1981 and subsequently arraigned before a general court martial that acquitted him on mutiny but convicted him on misconduct.
He was dismissed from the Army and sentenced to 23 months imprisonment.
To Effah Dartey, the vetting committee committed a very serious blander when they disqualified him from the race on the ground that he was once convicted of misconduct.
According to him, he was serving his sentence at the time of the December 31st revolution.
He said he was released, reinstatement and became one of the top military officers that crafted the very early days of the 31st December revolution.
On April 27 1983 he was promoted to the rank of Captain and on 14th August 1983 honourably released from the Armed Forces. Mr. Effah Dartey criticised the National Chairman of the NPP, Peter Mac Manu for not inviting him to the hearing of his appeal. To him he has been given a raw deal by the party leadership.
Whatever it is, the issues being raised by Effah Dartey has serious legal implications which can not be easily glossed over.
The authorities of the military that handled the case could do well to clear the issue since it is now Effah Dartey’s word against that of the NPP national leadership.
It is good that Effah Dartey has been a sportsman and decided not to go to court to place an injection on the party’s up coming congress since as he himself puts it such an action would damage to the name and image of the party and dislocate its programme towards election 2008.
Indeed the accusation and counter-accusations would help no one because when two elephants fight it is definitely the grass that suffers. The two contending parties must desist from washing their dirty linen in public.
On the other hand since Effah Dartey has shown tremendous love and commitment to the party, the NPP must reciprocate the gesture and show magnanimity.
It must refund Effah Dartey’s GH¢25,000 being his registration fees to him.
Effah Dartey must stop the raving and ranting and hold his peace else he might be digging the mother’s bones from the grave. He must swallow the bitter pill painfully since he is the architect of his own doom.
After all, he admits he flouted the disciplinary code of the military which as an institution it holds very dear. There is one nagging question which is how different is Nkrabeah’s case from that of Kwame Pianin who in a similar case was barred from contesting another Presidential primary upon a suit by Rosemary Elawam, also a member of the NPP.
What is good for the goose is equally good for the gander.
