NPP Bans Factions In Kumasi

THE ASHANTI regional New Patriotic Party (NPP) has sternly cautioned its members eyeing executive positions in the political party not to campaign in the name of party gurus like Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanten. Sounding the warning, the Ashanti regional Chairman of the largest opposition political party in the country, F.F. Anto, pointed out that campaigning in the names of any of the party�s top wigs was bad since it had the tendency of creating disunity in the party. �Nobody should campaign in the names of our party leaders like former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo or Mr Alan Kyeremanten,� the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman cautioned. According to him, �It is important for our party to watch against factionalism which has the potential of injuring the unity and strength of the party, especially as the 2016 general elections is just three years away.� Mr Anto, with a grim face, stated emphatically that any party member that would be caught campaigning in the names of the aforementioned party gurus would be labelled as a mole in the party whose desire and aspirations �is to see the NPP�s front divided.� To avert being seen and treated as a mole in the NPP, the Ashanti Regional NPP Chairman admonished party faithful campaigning for top positions in the party to embark on a clean campaign which would not create factionalism and rancour in the party. Mr Anto stressed on the need for the various contestants for party positions in the region and the country at large to thoroughly tell the delegates what they could do to help transform the NPP to enable it to wrest political power from the NDC in 2016. �Tell the delegates your plans to help transform the NPP within the shortest possible time and the delegates would give you their mandate to occupy an executive position in the party,� he said. He insisted that party leaders like ex-President Kufuor, Nana Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanten were neutral in the ongoing constituency and regional elections of the party, cautioning that no party member should try to link these top men to their campaign. Mr Anto gave the strong warning when Bernard Antwi-Boasiako aka �Wontumi� stormed the NPP office to pick his nomination forms to contest for the Ashanti Regional Chairman position of the NPP on New Year�s Day. He urged the various contestants to campaign in a decorous manner devoid of insults and insinuations, insisting that the NPP ought to maintain its unity regardless of who become victorious in the elections. Mr Anto said, �Ghanaians are wailing and wishing to see the NPP return to political power in 2016 to save the country from its present path into abyss due to the NDC poor governing style.� In this regard, he stated that the NPP should not make any mistake to ruin the party�s chances of winning the next general elections to implement better policies and programmes to better the lives of the citizenry. NPP WHIP BAD BOYS In a related development, Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NPP, Sam Pyne, has told DAILY GUIDE that the party would not hesitate to crack the whip at party members that would flout the NPP constitution as they campaign for party positions. He insisted that any party member that would contravene the NPP�s constitution during their campaign would not be spared but rather be made to dance to tune of the party�s constitution.