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THE JOSTLING for power and verbal war within the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) ahead of the party�s congress in December has gathered more steam with a group launching a verbal onslaught on the ten regional chairmen who have called for an early congress. According to the group, the action of the regional chairmen �is a calculated attempt to sabotage the national officers.� The regional chairmen, believed to be loyalists of Nana Akufo-Addo, have proposed that the NPP holds its congress in September instead of December. They advanced the argument that just as it happened in August 2010 when the party held an early congress, the upcoming congress could be brought forward. They also said the early congress will help avoid insults and character assassination by supporters of the various contestants. Already, the regional chairmen have come under intense pressure by spokesperson for Alan Kyerematen, who is also a former general secretary of the party, Nana Ohene Ntow who is of the conviction that the call for an early congress is totally vexatious and unnecessary. Yesterday, a group calling itself the Coalition for Clean Campaign added its voice to those who disagree with calls for an early congress and urged the regional chairmen to desist from putting undue pressure on the newly elected national executives of the NPP. �We have read with dismay a press statement issued by some Regional Chairmen of our party calling for an early congress to elect our flagbearer to lead our noble party into election 2016. We are at a loss as to why the rush by these regional chairmen to push this agenda of theirs and pressure the newly elected national executives of our party,� stated the group in a statement copied to the DAILY HERITAGE. The group revealed that none of the regional chairmen discussed the �alien proposal with their regional executive committee.� �Have they read the guidelines for elections and the constitution of the party and how such proposals are tabled in NPP? We need a united party for victory 2016. These acts by the chairmen are alien and disastrous for our forward movement as a party. �These chairmen are not ordinary members in the party and we expected them to resort to the appropriate party structure to send their proposal to the National Council. They took the oath of secrecy and to uphold the constitution before assumption of their various offices and we expected them to keep such matters from media and public attention, which puts the party in bad light.� The coalition further stated that the action of the regional chairmen is a calculated attempt to sabotage the national officers. �We have utmost trust and belief in our current executives led by chairman Paul Afoko and any ill-motive plan to undermine the steering committee and national council of the party would not be tolerated by the grassroots and teeming supporters of the party.� They said �as regional chairmen, we anticipate that they should know better and must at all times resort to the party structures rather than this parochial and divisive agenda. We shall repel any such individualistic actions.� �On the issue of adopting the style that we used by going for an early congress in August 2010, what we need to ask ourselves is, did that plan and style work? If it did, why then did we lose the 2012 elections?�