We Will Not Be Used To Fight Any Proxy War - Sammy Awuku

The newly elected National Youth Organiser of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammy Awuku has sent a stern warning to prospective candidates of the party�s flagbearership position not to fall on the youth to do their dirty jobs. According to him, the youth in the NPP will not allow themselves to be manipulated by anybody as far as the flagbearership race is concerned. Sammy Awuku bemoaned the emergence of the flagbearership debate in the NPP especially coming on the back of the Party�s National Delegates Conference at Tamale. �The expectations are that the new executives will bring unity in the party. I have absolutely no problem with anyone who wants to contest for the flagbearership position because it is a democratic party; but in our quest to do this we must be mindful of our utterances and actions�This time, the youth are not going to allow themselves to be divided; youth for this, youth for that. NPP youth will not be used to fight any proxy war in the flagbearership race,� he said. Controversies in the NPP took a different turn after its delegates conference as names of probable aspirants for the flagbearership position started popping up. Even though the debate surrounding those names lingered in the run-up to the party's Tamale conference, it has become worse in recent times. Even though nominations have not yet opened, some are of the view that Mr. Alan Kyerematen, instead of contesting again for the flagbearership position should rather put his support behind Nana Akufo Addo. Another section also think Mr. Kyerematen should go independent since Nana Akufo Addo is not giving him the chance to win the flagbearership position. An aide to Nana Akufo Addo, has even indicated that Alan Kyerematen can go solo if he so wishes and believes he is more popular outside of the party, because the constitution gives him that right. Mr. Kyerematen on the other hand has pointed out that nobody can rein in his desire to contest for the flagbearership position in the party because NPP operates in a democratic dispensation. Contributing to a panel discussion on �Kokrokoo�, Sammy Awuku said �It is sad that this debate came up barely one week after the new executives were elected�we should have milked the success of this election for a while�� He stressed that the newly elected executives, led by its chairman, Paul Afoko will not superintend over confusion and counter-accusations from candidates and their supporters especially after the party open nominations. �The new executives will be fair and firm. We will not allow anybody to malign another person because of a position�it will not happen and that is why we will urge that they should let their campaign be decent, let it promote the virtues and ideals of the NPP so that the youth will emulate. We need a strong disciplined party for 2016. This is not time to show how well we can destroy. It is time to show how well we can build our party and a party that is willing to come to power. I am clear in my mind that just as we went through the congress to elect the new executives, NPP will go through the face of the flagbearership race but we will not sit for things to get out of hands; we will guide the process and that is how I think we can crack the whip,� Sammy Awuku said.