May 29, 2015

The Member of Parliament for Kade in the Eastern Region, Ofosu Asamoah has criticized the minority over its call for the National Chairman, Paul Afoko and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong to step aside.

The Minority issued a statement calling for the two to step aside citing several reasons, including the death of the Upper East Chairman of the NPP, Adam Mahama.
According to Mr. Asamoah,  the Minority caucus in Parliament should not have issued the statement calling for their exit but rather sought to advise the two to step aside to calm tensions within the party.

“What does our constitution say in terms of removal? Even if we want to persuade them that due to what is happening, they should step aside, we in the Parliamentary caucus could have a meeting with them, either the leadership or the whole caucus.  You are supposed to advise. You don’t issue statements.” Ofosu Asamoah told Citi News in an interview.

He advised the members of the party to pursue the matter in accordance with the party’s constitution or risk harming the party’s chances in the elections.

“We are talking about rule of law, or do we only practice it when we come to power and not when we are preparing for power? Is that what we are saying.? At the end of the day, the party will lose and that is our problem,” he said.

Help the police or keep quiet

Ofosu Asamoah also chastised members of the party who have made various allegations concerning the death of Adam Mahama in the media.

He argued that there was no basis for the accusations being hurled at Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong given that the Police had not concluded their investigations into the death of the NPP Chairman.

“I think the immediate cause, although there may be some other remote causes, of the calls for the removal of Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong is the death of the Upper East regional Chairman and the police are investigating. Unfortunately I am not aware of party members who are speaking on the radio and TV, saying all sorts of things, volunteering information to the Police. Yet party members seem to know or identify those who killed him and those who are behind. That is causing all these troubles,” he said.

“[People are] trying to link the Chairman and the General Secretary just because they happened to have been chased out of the region a few days before the murder. The police have not invited them, the party has not set up any investigative committee to look into it and yet there calls for them to step aside.” Ofosu Asamoah added.
Paul Afoko is Chairman of the NPP

Paul Afoko is Chairman of the NPP

Why do NPP want Afoko, Agyepong out?

Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong’s term in office has been fraught with several controversies, culminating in the death of the Chairman,

There have been suggestions from within the NPP that the party’s troubles started when the two where elected into office and their continued stay would only make things worse.

There have also been reports of of a strained relationship between the pair and the Presidential Candidate of the party, Nana Akufo Addo.

Kwabena Agyepong

I am going nowhere

Several media organisations on Tuesday reported that Kwabena Agyepong had resigned from his position as General Secretary after a letter signed in his name and bearing the letterhead of the NPP was circulated to the media.

However, Mr Agyepong, rejected the claims and insisted that he intended to see out his mandate in office describing the false announcement of his resignation as desperate.

‘Step aside’ for the good of the NPP

Citi News sources within the NPP indicate that the Council of Elders of the party had written to Afoko and Agyepong to step aside to ensure that peace prevails.

However, the Council declined to comment on whether such a letter had been issued.

citifmonline.com