NPP For Special Congress To Elect New National Officers

Having been unsuccessful with his discreetly crafted plot to depose his party's National Chairman, Paul Afoko and General Secretary Kwabena Agyei Agyapong, so far, the twice defeated presidential candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, is all set to play his last card that will see the final ousting of the two beleaguered National Executives.

Latest information coming from the camp of the 2016 flag bearer reveal that, Nana Akufo-Addo has started canvassing support for a National Council meeting to be held immediately after today's bye-election at Talensi; regardless of the outcome.

The supposed meeting of the national council, which is the highest decision making body after Congress, ostensibly, is being convened to mend fences and foster unity in the party, but party insiders told The aL-hAJJ, it is a ploy to kick start processes of seeing off Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyapong and their allies on the national executive committee.

According to our usual reliable sources in the party, the former Abuakwa South legislator is conniving with his controlling loyalists on the National Council to instead pass a vote of no confidence on the Afoko-led national executives. This would then pave the way for an emergency national congress to elect new national officers.

Deep throat sources close to Nana Akufo-Addo hinted this paper, "Some fine legal brains in the party have been assembled to carefully scrutinize the party's constitution, particularly article 10 which deals with removal of officers, to build a watertight case against the Afoko administration."

Article 10 of the NPP constitution states:

"1. Whenever forty percent (40%) of the delegates that elect Constituency, Regional and National officers as the case may be, give written notice to the Constituency, Regional or National Executive as the case may be, of the demand for the removal of any elected officer the Executive Committee which receives such notice shall within one (1) week of receipt of the notice circulate such notice to all delegates affected.

b. The petition for the removal of an officer shall be on stated grounds, a copy of which shall be given to the affected officer who shall be given the opportunity to be heard by a body constituted by the Executive Committee.

2. Within one (1) month of the circulation of such notice referred to in clause (1), the said Executive Committee shall summon an Extraordinary Delegates Conference to deliberate and decide on the matter.

3. In the case of the demand for the removal of any member of the Constituency Executive Committee, the written notice shall be given to the Regional Executive Committee. With respect to the removal of Regional Officers, the written notice shall be submitted to the National Executive Committee while in the case of the removal of National Executive Officers, the written notice shall be to the National Council.”

4.Upon receipt of the written notice, the Constituency, Regional, National Executive Committee or National Council as the case may be, may suspend the officer from acting in his or her office pending the holding of the Emergency Delegates Conference.

5.The notice summoning the Conference shall specify the agenda and the approval for the removal of the Officer shall be by two -thirds majority of the votes cast at the Conference. Refusal by the Conference to approve the removal of the Officer shall, automatically terminate his or her suspension, if any, from office".

Already, this paper has gathered that the ten regional chairmen of the party have surreptitiously garnered the 40% signatures of qualified delegates to be tabled at the said national council meeting.

"In order not to be seen as Akufo-Addo hounding Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong as in the case of the botched impeachment process, a vote of no confidence on the entire membership of the current national executives is expected to be passed at the National Council meeting, after which Nana Akufo-Addo loyalists would be appointed to acting positions pending an emergency congress as prescribed by the NPP constitution", a source disclosed to this paper.

Not too long ago, Nana Akufo-Addo's nephew and chief campaign strategist, Gabby Asare Otchere Darko, in a subtle hint, told of the fate to befall Afoko and his team when he boastfully stated that his uncle's third attempt at the presidency campaign could 'fly' without the active involvement of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong.

Gabby, as he is affectionately called, posted on his facebook wall, “NPP, the earlier you admit that you have a huge problem and find a way to confront it the better. 18 months or so to the next election and mistrust, schemes and inaction are what I see. I am not worried about the presidential campaign because that campaign can run perfectly without the party HQ and I speak advisedly, taking a big cue from the 2000 campaign when Kufuor was the candidate. My concern is capacity building for party executives, the coordination of parliamentary campaigns and related matters."

Also, one of Nana Akufo-Addo's attack dogs, Daniel Bugri Naabu, also, the party's Northern regional Chairman, who has chastised Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong and called for their resignation even before the botched attempt to impeach them, recently said it will be proper if the two troubled national executives step aside since their movements have been limited by virtue of the fatwa by youths in the Upper East region. It's unclear by press time yesterday if the two beleaguered national officials have step foot in Talensi.

The aL-hAJJ has also been reliable informed that as soon as all the national executives are forced to quit, Nana Akufo-Addo loyalists amongst them would be encouraged to contest their former positions again, of which they are most likely to be retained.

Former vice chairman, Fred Oware and former General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, according to a source, would then contest for the posts of national chairman and general secretary respectively, which they are also likely to win.

There are also reports that the twice defeated presidential candidate will use his influence in the party to prevent any strong challenge of his anointed loyalists at the impending congress.

It would be recalled that Sir John recently served notice he will very soon return to post in the face of the crisis bedeviling the party. He has been accused of being behind the brouhaha calling for the resignation of the incumbent general secretary Kwabena Agyepong following the death of the party’s Upper East regional chairman Adams Mahama.

Speaking on Starr Chat with Bola Ray, Sir John pompously stated “I’ll bounce back,” when he was called into the program to interact with his contemporary from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia.

Deep throat sources in the party disclosed that, "Nana Akufo-Addo elements, who constitute close to 80 percent of the National Council membership, will ambush the anti-Akufo-Addo forces at the yet-to-be-convened national council meeting by forcefully moving a no-confidence motion on the entire Afoko-led administration.
They will then pass a resolution to call for fresh elections but before that persons close to Nana Akufo-Addo will be appointed to acting positions." Stay tuned.