Editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide Newspaper, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has diagnosed that the style of leadership of Paul Afoko accounted for his suspension as chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
The veteran journalist speaking on Joy FM’s News File Programme said the posture and certain ‘unilateral decisions’ of Paul Afoko upon being elected Chairman at the Tamale congress of the party led to his downfall.
“From the onset, certain decisions were taken that backfired…you remember the decision to remove the security elements of the party, the suspension or proceed on leave imposed on Perry Okudjeto, removal of the director of finance, all those decisions were apparently unilateral, based on what somebody thought was his power…they got reversed…so let’s look at the style of leadership…the conduct of the executive administration and what they produced,” he said.
Paul Afoko was suspended indefinitely as the National Chairman of the opposition party on Friday at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra. Paul Afoko was elected NPP chairman after 2012 elections
A statement signed by the party’s Director of Communication, Nana Akomea said the first vice chairman, Freddie Blay was now acting chairman of the party.
Aide to the suspended chairman, Nana Yaw Osei described the decision of NEC as ‘null and void’ and insisted that his boss was still at post.
Freddie Blay cannot call a NEC meeting whiles the National Chairman is in town so I think he just invited his friends to discuss personal issues,” he responded to the statement.
Another suspended member of the party, Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby also described Afoko’s suspension as a ‘coup d’état’ in the NPP since according to him only delegates that elected him have the power to remove him from office and not a small disgruntled persons.
But Kweku Baako insists that Paul Afoko should blame himself for suffering this fate as according to him, Afoko after winning the slot to become the party’s chairman always acted ‘unilaterally’ and also took decisions which were not in the larger interest of the NPP.
He added that Paul Afoko and his cronies saw the power given them in Tamale as a ‘blank check’ to exercise ‘unbridled power’ without recourse to the various factions in the party and the effect of their decisions on them.
“Some people thought that what had happened in Tamale was a blank check for an unbridled exercise of power and authority, it was a misreading of the balance of forces within the party.
“You could have won as chairman, but he ought to have known that he was dealing with the bigger community who had a stake, leadership requires that you are realistic and strategic in your calculations…this was self inflicted…it could have been avoided if the chairman had positioned himself properly and contested this thing properly…I don’t think he did that…,” he said.
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