The two national officers of the party attended the funeral service of Madam Theodosia Okoh, designer of Ghana’s national flag, at the State House with Alan Kyerematen before dashing to Kumasi in the Ashanti Region, with national security operatives providing security for them.

 

Afoko and Agyepong reportedly engaged in a crunch meeting with some key party officials in the region, where they allegedly sought the support of the key members in these obviously difficult times.

 

Some constituency chairmen and executives in the region reportedly attended the meeting where Afoko and Agyepong addressed them thoroughly about current happenings in the NPP.

 

Calls To Resign

 

Already about 35 out of the 47 constituencies of the NPP in the Ashanti Region are said to have signed forms calling on Messrs Afoko and Agyepong to immediately vacate their positions in the interest of peace. The rest are expected latest today.

 

What occasioned the suddenly arranged meeting, which was held at closed door at the Great Asor Hotel, Asokwa in Kumasi, was not immediately known to DAILY GUIDE.

 

But political observers and some NPP insiders suspected the meeting was held ostensibly to enable the two under-fire politicians to seek the support of the party people in the area.

 

Change Of Venue

 

Afoko and Agyepong reportedly arrived in Kumasi in the afternoon with national security operatives and they were originally expected to visit Asare Bediako, Asokwa Chairman’s house where the meeting was supposed to take place.

 

When DAILY GUIDE visited Mr Bediako’s house around 2:30pm, scores of vehicles and motorbikes were parked in front of the house, giving an indication that an important event was taking place in the house.

 

It was later gathered that the meeting’s venue had been shifted to Great Asor Hotel at the eleventh hour for what seemed a security precaution.

 

When the paper stormed the meeting’s venue, some party officials from the various constituencies in the region were seen hurriedly entering the hotel to listen to the two party officials.

 

Even though DAILY GUIDE did not spot any uniformed security personnel at the hotel, sources said security presence at the place was very heavy.

 

No Invitation

 

Sam Pyne, NPP Ashanti Regional Secretary, said on Otec FM that the regional executives of the party were not invited to the meeting, adding, “But we are aware that Afoko and Agyepong are holding a meeting in Kumasi with party people.”

 

Chairman Wontumi, the Regional Chairman, was out of town.

 

The regional secretary said the party in the region did not know the topic that was being discussed at the meeting, pointing out that the party was closely monitoring what was going on at the hotel and would soon come out with a statement.

 

Speaking on the same network, Nana Yaw Osei, a staunch Afoko supporter, stated that the meeting taking place at Asokwa was not organised by Afoko and Agyepong.

 

Setting the records straight, he said the Ashanti Regional NPP Constituency Chairmen Association organised the meeting and invited Afoko and Agyepong to address them.

 

Afoko Boys Storm Headquarters

 

Meanwhile, supporters of embattled National Chairman, Paul Afoko, yesterday went to the party headquarters in Accra to protest attempts to get him and Kwabena Agyepong out of office.

 

They arrived at the Asylum Down office at about 12:30pm in buses amidst chants of “No Afoko, No 2016.”

 

But confusion ensued when they attempted to force their way to the forecourt of the office.

 

At this point, members of the party’s security detail (the Invisible Forces), who were at the entrance, refused them entry because they said there was no national officer to listen to their concerns.

 

But the pro-Afoko group would not budge, insisting that they would   enter. Not even the intervention of the police would deter them.

 

The Invisible Forces however chased them out, with most of them leaving their slippers and shoes behind.

 

Caution

 

In a related development, Deputy National Youth Organiser of the NPP, Dominic Eduah, had asked the youth of the party to desist from meddling in the internal strife that had emerged.

 

This was after a group calling itself Tertiary Students Confederacy Alumni (TESCONA) waded into the affair.

 

Dominic noted that TESCONA was not a recognised group within the party, neither was it part of the arms of the youth wing.

 

“I want to state on record that as far as the youth wing is concerned, TESCONA is not a recognised body in the party so they should respect the structures of the party,” he said in the presence of the National TESCON Coordinator, Isaac Acheampong.