Crisis in NPP in Tamale

Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahman, aka COP, Northern Regional chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), is facing stiffer opposition in his own party, as the party's youth have closed down the regional secretariat, and are demanding the holding of congress to elect new executives.

The youth, who call themselves the 'NPP Youth Coalition,' have accused the chairman and other executives of overstaying their positions, and holding congress since 1996.

They said the chairman had adopting some autocratic means to rule the party in the region.

The trouble sparked off last week, when a purported letter, allegedly signed by Alhaji COP, stated that the acting regional secretary, Mr. Abubakari Sadiq, has been re-assigned as the media and communications officer of the party kin the region.

A section of the youth who did not take kindly to this new decision of the chairman therefore called for early congress to elect new executives.

The Chronicle sources revealed that the NPP youth indicated that the era when executive members of the party were appointing and sacking others upon the whims of the regional chairman is over.

The spokesman of the Youth Coalition, Ishamail Yahuza, said it is unconstitutional for the executives to continue holding themselves as leaders of the party in the region, adding that an interim management be set up to steer the affairs of the party towards the congress.

The Chronicle gathered that the chairman was using the state of emergency in the region as an excuse not to hold the congress.

The youth, it was learnt, pointed out that with the same state of emergency, other political parties, like NDC and CPP, were able to organise and elect their executives.

Sensing danger that his job is on the line, the regional chairman, according to our investigations, is blaming the secretary, Mr. Sadiq, as the brain behind the youth agitation for fresh congress.

Meanwhile, the Youth Coalition in a statement expressed shock over the chairman's purported allegation that Mr. Sadiq is the brain behind the moves to overthrow his administration.

The statement, signed by Mr.Abubakari Sham-Una Ghazi and Yahuza Ishmail, described the action of another group calling itself "Mother of all NPP Associations" on the Coalition's cry for constituency and regional congress to elect new executives as totally wrong.

The Coalition, according to the youth, was shocked for Mother of all NPP Associations to misunderstand their call for implementation of constitutional requirement of the party.

The statement emphatically stated that the call for the regional congress does not mean that they are asking for the removal of Alhaji COP, but that he should either renew his mandate through fresh elections or hold congress to elect new executives towards 2004 elections.

They in their statement believed that the Mother of NPP Associations existed as anti-democratic, but "they would today or tomorrow oppose what is wrong for NPP."

Another group, "Bineeti NPP Women's Group," have called on the elders of NPP to intervene as a matter of urgency to solve the issue once and for all.

In a statement signed by the leader of the group, Madam Arishetu Alhassan, they indicated their support for the call of the Coalition on the regional party chairman to organize constituency and regional congresses to elect new executives for the party as early as possible.