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http://citifmonline.com/2015/12/18/npp-conference-we-dont-have-time-to-discuss-afoko-akomea/
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has dismissed attempts by suspended National Chairman, Paul Afoko to stop aspects of their Sunyani National Conference that will discuss his chairmanship.
The party’s explanation follows Mr. Afoko’s attempt to secure an injunction at the court over the issue.
Mr. Afoko filed the ex-parte motion at the Human Rights Court, which is expected to be heard by the court today [Friday].
According to him, any decision the party takes will cause an irreparable damage to him since he has a pending case in court against the party which dates back to November.
Mr. Afoko has already sued the party at the Accra High Court over his suspension which he insists was unconstitutional.
Mr. Afoko claims to have information that the Sunyani conference may take a decision to completely dismiss him from the party, hence his resolution to seek the injunction.
“Having asserted the legal or at least an equitable right, there is the need to protect my right by maintaining the status quo until the final determination of the suit which could take some time in court. The NPP and its acting National Chairman and some members of the party are feverishly preparing to purportedly remove me from office as National Chairman by getting all these people invited to the conference to endorse my removal from office notwithstanding the pendency of my suit already in court.”
He further argued that “in the event that I am removed from office and I eventually win the case, I cannot be compensated by the damages especially when my tenure of office is a four year term. I will suffer an irreparable injury if this application is not granted”.
But the NPP’s Director of Communications, Nana Akomea, says Mr. Afoko is not on the agenda for the conference, explaining that the decision to do with him has already been taken.
According to him, the conference, which will among other things outdoor the 2016 campaign team for the party’s Flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, is a mandatory yearly activity which mostly takes place ahead of a major national election.
He told Citi Eyewitness News “I am surprised that Mr. Afoko will be taking such an action. The subject of his removal will not come up at the conference. We are not going to spend all these money getting party executives from across the country in Sunyani just to go and talk about Paul Afoko. And even if his matter comes up, that will not affect his court action. He doesn’t feature on our programme.”
According to him, Mr. Afoko can only be removed if forty percent of the people who voted for him endorse his removal at the conference.
He says this can only be happen after notices have gone out to the delegates for that purpose, explaining that no such notices have gone out and so the conference cannot remove him.
“There will be no room for Mr. Afoko at the meeting because we have a lot of activities on the programme line-up.”
Nana Akomea noted that the conference will discuss a lot of critical issues and also review of its activities in the last one year ahead of election 2016.
The NPP’s extraordinary national delegates’ conference comes after major shake-up within the rank and file of the party that has seen the suspension of Chairman Paul Afoko, General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong and Second Vice Chairman, Sammy Crabbe.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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