The legal team of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) last Wednesday cross- examined the party’s suspended National Chairman, Mr Paul Afoko, during proceedings that lasted almost an hour at the Human Rights Court.
Mr Afoko was making his second appearance at the court to testify in a case in which the suspended 2nd National Vice-Chairman, Mr Sammy Crabbe, is challenging his suspension.
The suspended national chairman, who is also fighting his suspension in court in a separate suit, is one of the witnesses that Mr Crabbe is using to support his case against his suspension.
Cross-examination
The cross-examination started in an explosive manner when lead Counsel of the NPP, Mr Godfred Dame, suggested that he (Afoko) had little knowledge of the party’s practices to determine whether Mr Crabbe’s suspension was unconstitutional or not.
“Prior to your election as chairman, you were not involved in any organisational structure of the party in order to know its practices and conventions,’’ he said.
Mr Afoko disputed it by saying that prior to his election as chairman, he was a member of the National Council of the party, and therefore, had considerable knowledge to conclude that Mr Crabbe’s suspension was unconstitutional.
“I was the representative of the Upper East Region on the council,’’ he said.
Constitution
The issue of the party’s constitution then took centre stage when Mr Dame told the court that Mr Afoko could not have been appointed onto the National Council of the party because the party’s constitution did not permit that.
“The constitution of the party that you were chairman of does not permit the appointment of regional representatives to the National Council,’’ he asserted.
Mr Afoko replied that although the party’s constitution did not explicitly permit such an appointment, it was a convention and an acceptable practice at the time. He added, “my appointment can be confirmed by my letter of appointment.’’
No knowledge
The next issue raised by Mr Dame was that Mr Afoko could not make a case for Mr Crabbe because “he had no knowledge of the factors that informed the suspension of Mr Crabbe since he (Afoko) had also been suspended and was not part of the meeting that led to Mr Crabbe’s suspension.’’
In response, Mr Afoko said there was no need for him to be part of the committee to determine whether Mr Crabbe’s suspension was unconstitutional or not.
“I did not come to court for nothing but to address this unconstitutional act,’’ he added.
The court, presided over by Mr Justice Dennis Dominic Adjei, a Court of Appeal judge with additional jurisdiction over the High Court, adjourned the case to May 10, 2016 for the continuation of the cross-examination.
The trio
Apart from Mr Afoko and Mr Crabbe, the suspended General Secretary of the party, Mr Kwabena Agyepong, was also present in court.
Other leading members of the party who showed up were Professor Mike Oquaye, a former Minister of Communications; Mr C. K. Tedem, the Chairman of the NPP’s Council of Elders, and Mr Stanley Adjiri Blankson, a former Mayor of Accra.
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