Afoko’s aide, NPP executives clash over party unity

Any move by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to bring back its suspended executives – National Chairman Paul Afoko, General Secretary Kwabena Agyapong, and Second National Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe – should not be done discreetly, Nana Yaw Osei, spokesperson for Mr Afoko, has disclosed.

The three party executives were suspended late last year for allegedly working against the interest of the party’s flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo.

Mr Afoko challenged his suspension in court but the Human Rights Court in Accra dismissed the case.

Speaking on Inside Politics on Class91.3FM on Wednesday, September 28, Mr Osei said if indeed there were moves to bring the three suspended national officers back, especially Mr Afoko, then the party must address the allegations levelled against his boss and use the appropriate party structures to bring him and the others back so the NPP can go into the December 7 polls with a united front.

Mr Osei told show host Moro Awudu that: “A whole lot of serious allegations were levelled against him (Mr Afoko) but nobody provided any shred of evidence as of that time and even now, there is still no evidence, so, they were [false] charges and allegations just to find something to frustrate the man out of his position and they succeeded in doing that. Now if what we read and heard is anything to go by, then I dare say that those moves cannot be done in a vacuum. They must be done with those serious allegations in mind.”

“For instance, Mr Afoko was accused of being in bed with the NDC to the extent that he leaked party information to the NDC. That was one of the serious allegations against Mr Afoko, so I ask myself what has changed. Will Mr Afoko not leak party information to the NDC any longer? Is that why they are making moves behind the scenes to get him back?

“Another allegation which was false and continues to be false is the fact that he was working against the flag bearer so that he cannot become president. Once again, the allegation was just made like that with no evidence, yet it was evasive for a committee to accept to get the man out of his office. As we speak, have they been able to provide any shred of evidence in support of Mr Afoko working against the flag bearer such that he cannot become president? The answer is no.

So what has changed? ...Have they realised that all those things they levelled against Mr Afoko were untrue? And if they are untrue, what genuine steps are they taking to ensure that they clear Mr Afoko of those allegations before he comes back to assume his position as national chairman of the party unconditionally?”

According to Mr Osei, those making moves to have Mr Afoko back have not contacted him but are rather going round dealing with other persons instead of Mr Afoko himself.

In his opinion, party structures like the National Executive Committee and National Council were used to hound Mr Afoko out of his position and, therefore, if the party wants him back, they should use the same structures and not the back door.

“Until they do that, if indeed they are making any moves to bring Mr Afoko back, we will not see those moves as being genuine,” he added.