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Private Legal Practitioner, Nana Asante Bediatuo has begged to differ on his colleague lawyers who interpret “vote of no confidence” in NPP’s National Chairman, Paul Afoko and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong to mean their impeachment.

Some regional executives of the NPP have unanimously voted for the two leaders to step aside following the death of its Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama amidst the flouting of the Constitutional principles.

Party leaders in the Central, Volta, Eastern and Western regions Monday decided that Mr. Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong be made to step aside until the police conclude investigations into the ghastly acid attack of the Upper East Chairman which led to his death.

Following the action of the regional chairmen, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and former Constitutional and Legal Committee Chairman, Nii Ayikoi Otoo is upset about the attempt to remove the party’s National Chairman, Paul Afoko and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong.

According to him, the action taken by the regional executives is unconstitutional, explaining that before someone can be impeached, 40 percent of the party’s delegates must petition the National Council in accordance with Article 10 of the NPP Constitution.

But reacting to this issue on Oman Fm’s "National Agenda", Lawyer Asante Bediatuo stated that people should not take the vote of no confidence to mean impeachment, explaining that the vote of no confidence leave the mandate to the National Council to do two things.

Firstly, he said the petition of the regional chairmen to ask Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong to step aside means that the National Council should advice the two leaders to amend their ways of administration to bring peace.

Again, he mentioned that the National Council per the magnitude of the situation in the party can advice the National Chairman, Paul Afoko and the General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong to resign on their own.

“Vote of no confidence in Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong is not the same as impeachment; none of these is binding on the leaders to step down. In NPP, there are ways to impeach a leader….if some regions have come out with a decision, it doesn’t make it the decision of all the regional executive committee,” he stated.

He was of the view that there is nothing wrong in the constitution which shows that the regional executive committee cannot hold a meeting to discuss matters affecting the party.

He maintained that they come out in their meeting with a decision that they don’t have confidence in these two leaders by petitioning the National Council to ask them to step aside but added that it will require the constitutional mandate to enforce them to step down.