Afoko Ignites A Political Storm

The information that was released today is too much to digest. Paul Afoko has ignited a political storm. It is sweeping NPP members into a ferocious state that will soon climax in days to come.

His message to the NPP, irresistibly recalls Kennedy Agyapong's position in the NPP, Akuffo Addo's involvement in certain decisions, and lastly his personal involvement/advice to the NPP. 

ON KENNEDY AGYAPONG

Agyapong has been made by the intolerant militant wing of the party to feel he is untouchable, but when I assumed the chairmanship, I was prepared to take him on once and for all. His reckless conduct and pronouncements are very damaging to the party and its fortunes. The party has members from every corner of the country but Agyepong gets up and spews hate speech against Ewes, Gas and Northerners. If you were NPP member from any of these ethnicities, how would you feel?

This man gets up and calls fellow party members stupid. He goes on radio stations and even insults former President John Kufuor, the party’s living legend.


ON AKUFFO ADDO

I told Akufo-Addo that I intended to ask the minority leader in Parliament to remove Kennedy Agyapong as a ranking member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Communications and then I would send him to the National Disciplinary Committee for them to fire a shot across his bows. Akufo-Addo told me not to touch him.

But I persisted and raised the issue of Agyapong’s crass indiscipline, unruly behavior, and flagrant disregard of party rules and regulations at a National Executive Council meeting, and made a case for why the party should ask the minority leader to push Agyapong from the front bench to the back bench in Parliament, and why the National Disciplinary Committee should take an immediate action against him to deter others.

Just as Akufo-Addo had told me, members of the intolerant militant wing on the NEC also told me not to touch Agyapong, no matter what he had said or done, I should just leave him alone. They said Agyapong was an asset to the party. First Vice-Chairman Blay even described Agyapong as a gem. I remember General Secretary Agyepong asking Blay twice: gem, a gem? Blay said yes, a gem. Agyepong then said to Blay: 'Mark these words, because I will ask you one day whether this man is really a gem.'

HIS INVOLVEMENT AND ADVICE

These people [NPP] were out of their minds. They wanted to win the elections on the streets of Ghana and not at the ballot box…that is the militancy I am talking about. I told them that I, Paul Afoko, as chairman of the NPP, would never allow them to take the party on that crazy route.

In the presence of the Serbians, I admonished our party people and asked them to leave the hotel immediately and go home.
You can’t win power by being an intolerant militant, and repelling people. I am sounding a note of caution to my party that we should stop this political craziness.

We are sliding down fast and we should stop it and crawl our way back up and fight for power. That is what I am telling my party.