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Embattled chairman of the New Patriotic Party has declared that his party’s “constitution is under attack, has been breached, has been bastardised” and for these reasons he is “going to court.”

At a press conference held in Accra where he broke his long silence since his suspension, Mr. Afoko indicated that “this press conference is an opportunity for me to tell the owners of the party why I am going to court.

“My reason for going to court is to protect the interest of my party of which I’m still chairman.” According to Mr. Afoko, the current happenings in the party has “set the NPP on a slippery slope and if steps are not taken to arrest the problems and the illegalities being perpetrated then the party would lose the elections and that is what I don’t want to happen.” 

After being suspended by the National Executive Committee of the NPP, the decision was affirmed by the National Council, the second highest decision making body of the party. Out of the 77 members who gathered to consider his petition to the party, 70 voted to uphold the suspension, 6 abstained from voting with only one voting in favour of Mr. Afoko to be reinstated.  

He said "all those who voted at the National Council meeting are opposition and worked against me from becoming chairman but they lost and i was given an overwhelming support at our congress."

Present at the press conference was the second deputy general secretary of the NPP, Sammy Crabbe who has been quite vociferous about Mr. Afoko’s suspension saying it was illegal.

Mr. Afoko has been accused of derailing the efforts of the party’s flagbearer, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo and shirking his responsibilities by not calling for meetings.

He has also been linked strongly to the murder of the party’s Upper East regional chairman, Adams Mahama who was killed after an acid attack - an accusation Paul Afoko’s brother, Gregory Afoko is standing trial for.  

Although he fell short of giving the exact date on when he would be proceeding to court to contest the party’s decision to suspend him, he is optimistic he would get a favourable ruling.