The Deputy General Secretary for the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kofi Adams, has claimed that the camp of 2012 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Akufo-Addo, was behind moves for the opposition party to hold a decentralised conference to elect national officers.
According to him, while party loyalists who were in favour of defeated flagbearer hopeful, Alan Kyerematen were in support of holding conference at a centralised location, those in the camp of Nana Akufo-Addo believed holding the congress separately across the regions would inure to his benefit.
The NPP’s National Executive Committee initially announced it would hold conference on March 1, at various regional capitals, because the party could not raise the GH¢1 million needed to fund the event at a single venue.
Many party faithful including its Members of Parliament kicked against it, insisting that the conference should happen at one venue.
The National Council, the second highest decision making body on Tuesday overturned and chose the Northern Regional capital, Tamale, as venue for the conference on April 12.
Mr. Adams said on Thursday, these developments confirmed the long held view by political watchers that the NPP was sharply divided along the camps of Alan Kyerematen and Nana Akufo-Addo, over the modalities.
He maintained that factionalism in the NPP became evident when party national chairman; Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, general secretary; Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, as well as Director of Elections, Martin Agyei Mensah-Korsah, all submitted separate budgets for the event.
Kofi Adams said the decision by the National Council was a signal to the 2012 flagbearer that he no longer held significant influence in the party.
Nothing wrong
But the former NPP Member of Parliament for Asokwa, Maxwell Kofi Jumah explained there was nothing wrong with the party presenting different budgets for the event.
He said Mr. Owusu Afriyie proposed for the conference to be held in Accra which will cost GH¢1 million and the other, purported to have originated from Mr. Obetsebi-Lamptey, also proposed a higher figure, while the party’s Members of Parliament also proposed for it to be held in Sunyani which was estimated to cost a little less than GH¢700,000.
These he noted, were deliberated upon with reasons before the final decision was reached that it should held in Tamale, at a lesser cost than those proposed by the chairman and general secretary.