At NPP Secret Meeting With Kufuor, Otabil & Others
…Says Flagbearer Is Cause Of Party’s Deep Crisis
Emotions went high at a secret meeting held at the Airport-West residence of ex-President John Agyekum Kufour, when renowned Moderator of Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Martey, bluntly accused the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, as the major cause of the party’s deepening internal wrangling.
This paper gathered that, an emotionally charged Rev. Prof. Mantey, told Nana Addo in the face that, his actions were destroying the NPP and that, the twice defeated flagbearer, should forget about becoming the President of this country in the next election, should the current infighting in the party continues.
In the presence of ex-President Kufuor, the Presby Church boss, sternly admonished the NPP flagbearer to stop his divisive leadership style of picking and choosing national and regional executives as those he preferred to work with, instead of having a united front.
Already, Freddie Blay, the Vice-Chairman of NPP, is now acting as National Chairman, while Gabby Asare-Otchere, a cousin of Nana Addo, appears to be in-charge of the party as General Secretary.
The highly-powered meeting, which was held on Thursday, July 9, a day after the NPP flagberear flew to UK, was arranged by the former President to iron out the bitterness between Nana Addo, his loyalists and also the two administrative heads of the party; National Chairman, Paul Afoko, and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyei Agyapong.
Present at the meeting were; Dr. Mensah Otabil, the General Overseer of the International Central Gospel Church (ICGC), Paul Afoko, Kwabena Agyapong, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson– former mayor of Accra, Lawyer Akoto Ampaw, the NPP flag-bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo and Ex-President, John Kufour.
The rest are; Mr. Owusu Afriyie-Akoto –the outgoing Member of Parliament (MP) for Kwasdaso, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church, Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, among other bigwigs within the NPP.
Sources at the meeting told The Herald that, Mr. Akufo-Addo, who was shocked and badly embarrassed by the outburst of the renowned Presby Moderator, slammed the back of his head on the chair he sat on.
Surprisingly, insiders told The Herald that, the General Overseer of ICGC, Dr. Otabil, who also spoke during the meeting, could not say anything politically meaningful, but engaged in diplomacy.
This paper is informed, only Rev. Prof. Mantey, who surprised many stood on his grounds and faced the flag-bearer squarely by being blunt with the NPP flagbearer, and thereby stealing the show.
The Presby church head, spoke the minds and hearts of many NPP stalwarts including, Joseph Nii Ayikoi Otu, ex-Minister of Justice, who said the NPP lost the Talensi Parliamentary seat to the National Democratic Congress (NDC), because the party sent a divided front to the by-election, having kept away Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong by threatening to kill them.
Many NPP bigwigs, have been afraid to speak the hard truth for fear of being attacked by the flagbearer’s errand boys and girls including, physical attacks by the party’s thugs the “Invincible Forces” which has prevented the National Chairman and General from having access to their offices.
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