Cease Personal Attacks In NPP � Nyaho Tamakloe

A founder member of the New Patriotic Party, Dr Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, has said the recent spate of personal attacks and name calling within the NPP must cease. These attacks, he said, were occurring because the party was in another phase of internal leadership contest. However, Dr Nyaho Tamakloe pointed out that �this is not the NPP�s first leadership contest since its emergence, and we have the maturity to avoid inappropriate personal attack.� Heated Controversy In recent times, Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, a presidential hopeful, has generated heated controversy within the NPP. At a forum organised by the Tertiary Education Students Confederacy of the NPP in Kumasi, Dr Apraku asked party supporters to elect what he called �a right leader� to ensure victory in the 2016 elections. According to him, a right leader would help transform and improve the fortunes of the NPP and save it from losing power again. Since then, Dr Apraku had come under a barrage of attacks from party members for the comments. He is thought to be undermining the party's Presidential Candidate in the 2012 elections, Nana Akufo-Addo, in order to have an upper hand. Dr Apraku, who was the campaign manager for Akufo-Addo in the 2008 election, had also stood his grounds, justifying his position with the explanation that NPP had suffered defeats in the last two elections. An aspirant for the regional chairmanship position of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Ashanti Region, Mr Kwame Osei Prempeh, has also wondered why a simple party contest could spark uproar among party members and create problems for the same party they were seeking power to serve. Many, including Dr Arthur Kennedy, have also expressed worry at how some party members were conducting themselves, describing it as dangerous for the progress of the party. He cautioned that if such unfortunate incidents were not nipped in the bud, it could cost the party dearly. Council of Elders Dr Nyaho Tamakloe postulates that: �These attacks do not do justice to the liberal democratic Danquah, Busia, Dombo tradition.� He, therefore, reminded those in leadership position and aspiring leaders that they bore the most responsibilities for checking the overenthusiastic NPP supporters. In his view, many of what he called �the noise-makers� did not taste the bile that �some of us endured before the NPP was founded,� he concluded. Meanwhile, Mr Perry Okudzeto, acting Communication Director of the party, in a telephone interview with the Daily Graphic have said the National Council of Elders, under the Chairmanship of Mr C.K. Tedem, as part of comprehensive measures to resolve all emerging differences within the party, is inviting all party members who have expressed concerns in the public domain to an informal meeting to discuss their concerns. �It is not a summon but an informal discussion that ultimately will explore the way forward for the party,� Mr Okudzeto stated.