The crisis in the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) seems to have no end as hardly a day passes by without a new episode to the internal feud that has characterised the activities of the party lately.
The General Secretary of the party, Kwabena Agyepong, was yesterday heckled and had his car vandalised by the party's security, the Invincible Forces.
Mr Agyepong walked out from a steering committee meeting after he served notice that an interlocutory injunction had been served challenging the decision by the party's National Executive Council to suspend its embattled Chairman, Paul Afoko.
As he walked out of the premises, the General Secretary was reportedly heckled and booed at by some members of the party while others pelted his car, leading to the breaking of the windscreen.
Shortly after the incident, the party condemned the attack on its General Secretary, and a decision was taken by the Steering Committee to replace the broken windscreen.
The party explained the incident as thus:
“Apparently, in the course of the meeting, word had gone out to the media that the General Secretary had served an injunction to stop the Steering Committee meeting, and that led to the attack on the back screen of his car.
“Shortly after, the General Secretary left the office in his car.
“The Steering Committee resolved to replace the rear screen of the General Secretary’s vehicle.
“The party vehemently condemns the attack on the vehicle and will conduct further investigations.”
Suspended chairman of the party, Mr Paul Afoko, in a dramatic turn of event and in an apparent public display that he was still in charge, issued a statement congratulating Ivorian President Alassane Quattara on his re-election even before official results were declared in that country.
The statement read in part: “The New Patriotic Party wishes to congratulate His Excellency Alassane Quattara of La Cote d’Ivoire on his re-election for a second term as president.”
The party’s Communications Director, Nana Akomea, in a swift reaction to the statement, asked party members to disregard a statement issued by their suspended National Chairman, Paul Afoko.
Nana Akomea contends that the statement has no effect.
“I can assure you that from the National Executive Committee of the NPP, that letter will have no effect. If the NEC decides to issue another letter to Quattara, they will do it without any problem at all. There is a steering committee meeting today and I am sure this issue will be discussed,” he emphasised in an interview on Citi FM.
Members of the NPP have been divided over the decision of the party’s National Executive Council to suspend its National Chairman --- a situation that has been described by many political analysts as a path to self-destruct.
But the National Youth Organiser of the party, Sammy Awuku is confident the party would weather the storm and organise its front to snatch victory in the 2016 general election.
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