Some Members of Parliament of the New Patriotic Party are accusing President John Dramani Mahama of being in bed with suspended NPP chairman, Paul Awentami Afoko to cause disaffection for the biggest opposition party.
According to the NPP MPs, the party’s suspended Chairman’s conduct ever since he was elected in the Tamale congress has been tailored to create confusion in the party in order to give President Mahama an edge over the largest opposition party’s 2016 presidential candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo.
First to make the allegation, (described by the NDC officials as spurious,) was the NPP MP for Takoradi in the Western region, Hon Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah.
The Takoradi MP cannot fathom why president Mahama would mockingly ask the NPP who their chairman was at a rally in the NDC’s ‘World Bank” of Volta region last week.
Speaking on 92.7 FM, a radio station owned by TV3 network last Friday, the Takoradi MP said President Mahama’s comment clearly confirm he has covertly been in league with Paul Afoko to destroy the NPP ahead of next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections.
The Takoradi MP’s yet-to-be substantiated allegation was corroborated by his colleague NPP MP for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Adjapong on Badwam a local program on Adom Tv.
According to the foul mouth self-acclaimed financier of the NPP, Paul Afoko’s actions show that he is indifferent to Nana Akufo-Addo’s victory in the November 2016 elections.
He said all that Paul Afoko has done as Chairman was to take ill-intended decisions to hurt Nana Akufo-Addo chances of beating President Mahama in next year’s election.
But, a source close to the President, speaking to The Al-Hajj on condition of anonymity, dismissed these assertions, describing them as “spurious and wicked”.
According to the source, the president and the NDC won’t waste any precious time thinking or planning evil against, in his own words; “a disjointed and dying party”.
The NPP has of late been busily engaged in an internal power struggle which is threatening its cohesion ahead of the 2016 elections. Presently, the question of who is the Chairman of the party following the purported suspension of its national chairman Paul Afoko is in the balance as, Paul intend challenging his suspension in court.
The elected but now embattled Chairman; Paul Afoko insists he remains the chairman of the party although his deputy, Freddie Blay has been appointed in an acting capacity and has since been functioning as such.
Speaking to teeming NDC supporters to crown his Changing Lives, Transforming Ghana tour of the country in the Volta region last week, President Mahama said he finds it difficult to respond to the NPP’s press conference held last Wednesday because he is confused as to who is the chairman of the largest opposition party now.
“On the day that Opana [Akufo Addo] was doing his press conference to respond to me, somebody too was doing a press conference accusing him and saying he is going to court,” Mahama stated.
“This man said I’m acting chairman of the party and this one said I’m chairman of the party so I thought Opana will rather pay attention to the competence of uniting his party than addressing press conferences at me…
So, one mark of competence in leadership is to manage people. Right now I don’t even know who to address. So who is the chairman?” the president laughed out.
Peeved by the President’s mockery of the NPP, Kennedy Adjapong and his colleague, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, who have all applauded the decision to suspend Paul Afoko, accused the president of conniving with the suspended chairman to destroy the NPP, claiming that the president is behind Paul Afoko’s decision go to court after his suspension to disorganize the NPP.
Kennedy Adjapong added that, he would prefer NPP losing the 2016 presidential elections without Paul Afoko as chairman than his restoration.
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