A FORMER National Treasurer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Gifty Ama Asantewaa Ayeh, popularly called Daavi Ama has told her party members that suspended National Chairman, Paul Afoko has huge followers within the party.
Daavi Ama said Mr. Afoko faced rejection by all the ten regional chairmen of the party during the party’s delegates’ conference in Tamale to elect national officers but Mr. Afoko still won the election.
Speaking on Kasapa FM yesterday, the former National Treasurer said “everybody who has conscience will admit that Afoko has seen no rest since he came to the lime light in the NPP. All the 10 regional chairmen were against his chairmanship bid when we went to Tamale. However, if they were to be influential and solid on the grounds Afoko wouldn’t have been the chairman. The party should know that Afoko has his own followers on the grounds”
Daavi Ama commenting on the fallout from Afoko’s suspension onsaid Mr. Afoko is being persecuted wrongly by the party.
She further said the Acting National Chairman of the NPP, Freddie Blay is not fit to be given the front role as a party chairman, after Afoko’s suspension.
“What is he bringing into the fold? You don’t give sumptuous meals to strangers in the NPP, while you neglect very staunch party members who have been with the party from old. The devil you know is better than the angel you don’t know.
He (Freddy Blay) hasn’t been fair to the party, and Kufuor who gave him the chance into the party. He’s said he will be the party chairman and that is what we’re seeing now. If he wanted to be the chairman why didn’t he go for forms to contest as a chairman?”
“I don’t have any personal scores with him, but what I’m saying is that he doesn’t have to be where his now. The best thing could have been to allow an elder in the party to act as chairman while we address all the internal challenges, she said.
Overwhelming majority of members of the National Council of the NPP last week affirmed the decision to suspend the embattled chairman indefinitely, and directed the party’s first Vice chairman, Freddy Blay to act as chairman.
The decision was reached after it met to consider a petition submitted by the embattled Chairman.
The suspended national chairman of NPP, Mr. Afoko on Wednesday held a press conference and described his suspension as “baseless” the petitions that were sent to the National Executive Council of the party that got him suspended.
According to the embattled chairman, “the owners of the party are not the 70 people who sat in the room at the national headquarters for national council meeting, but rather the power lies in the hands of the electorate at the polling stations and the constituencies.”
Mr. Afoko, breaking his silence for the first time, after the NEC of the party suspended him said his party’s constitution is “under attack” and has been “breached and bastardized,” hence, “my reason for going to court is to protect the interest of my party of which I’m still chairman.”
He said, the current happenings in the party have “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.”
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