New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Manhyia South, Dr. Matthew Opoku Prempeh, has challenged the leadership of the party, to take responsibility for the current issues of infighting in the party and resolve it before the 2016 elections.
Perceived cracks and factionalism in the party appears to be deepening following the death of the party’s Upper East Regional Chairman, Alhaji Adams Mahama.
The man could not survive an acid attack believed to have been orchestrated by some ‘enemies’ within the party.
The party chairman Paul Afoko, and the General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong, have been fingered in the ghastly incident because they had a fracas with the deceased a fortnight before his death.
The fallouts of the death have culminated into massive calls for the removal of the two national leaders whereas others have asked them to step aside to allow police investigations into the incident.
So far, one suspect, Gregory Afoko, who happens to be a brother to the national Chairman, is in court for his role in the murder. Another suspect, also a member of the NPP in the Upper East Region is on the run.
As pressure piles up on the two national leaders from every quarters of the party, a letter circulated in the media on Tuesday announcing the General Secretary’s resignation. But Mr. Agyepong in a shocking response said he had not signed any letter and that his email may have been hacked.
He stated that he was not ready to resign until his mandate elapses in 2018, adding that his detractors will not succeed in their attempts to bring him down.
But the Manhyia MP, who was speaking on TV3’s New Day, wants the leadership of the party to take responsibility for the mess and take the needed steps that will restore serenity in the party to achieve the unity needed to win elections in 2016.
According to him, that is the only way to make the NPP a credible alternative in the 2016 elections.
“We should not let Ghanaians lose hope in the fact that there is no credible alternative. I am not sure that we just being credible or not will bring us to power. But if voters lose faith in the fact that there is no credible alternative and they don’t see an end to this economic mismanagement, bad things will happen to this country. And what my party is doing is killing all of us; its killing our will. We can’t talk about anything, look at all the headlines here. Even newspapers that have a circulation of 50 are even trumpeting our stories. Just a few weeks ago, I even heard somebody in our party say that Nana Addo is not even our Presidential candidate until he files his document at the Electoral Commission. This is a human problem; it is an ego problem gone bad and we must fix it”.
“I am only an MP but I receive numerous calls everyday with people asking me about what’s happening in the party. We are having sleepless nights and its terrible”.
The Manyhia MP however downplayed attempts by some elements in the NPP and in the incumbent NDC, to blame the challenges on the party’s Flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo.
According to him, per the party’s constitution, the national chairman is viewed as the leader of the party, however when problems arise, people hypocritically turn to point to the flagbearer as the leader.
He says the party must take steps in the future to clarify that portion of its constitution on who exactly should be regarded as the party leader.
By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/3news.com/Ghana
