[ 2017-05-12 ]

Freddie Blay is acting chairman of the New Patriotic Party

Vacate your party posts - NPP tells officers serving in government
The National Council (NC) of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) has directed all party officials
serving in government to resign from their party
positions.

The council, which is the second highest
decision-making body of the party, said combining
party work and government work was not the best,
since it would put a lot of strain on the affected
officers.

The decision was taken at the council’s meeting
last Wednesday night. This forms part of the
decisions taken at the meeting chaired by the
acting National Chairman, Mr Freddie Blay, in
Accra last Wednesday.

According to the acting General Secretary, Mr John
Boadu, the party’s council had decided that:
“All party office holders (elected or appointed)
who have second executive positions in government
should vacate their party positions for
substantive officers appointed to fill in.”

New directive

With this new directive, those affected will
include the Gender, Children and Social Protection
Minister, Madam Otiko Djaba, who is the National
Women’s Organiser of the party; the Minister of
 Lands and National Resources, Mr John Peter
Amewu, who will also resign from his post as the
Volta Regional Chairman of the NPP, while the
Volta Regional Minister and First Vice Chairman of
the NPP in the region, Mr Archibald Letsa, will
resign from the first vice position.

The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Kyeremeh
Ameyaw, will also resign as the Regional Chairman
of the party.

The rest are the Central Regional Minister, Mr
Kwamena Duncan, who will resign as the Regional
Secretary of the NPP; the Greater Accra Regional
Minister, Mr Ishmael Ashitey; and the Metropolitan
Chief Executive of Accra, Mr Adjei-Sowah.

Details of  council meeting

Releasing details of the council meeting held in
Accra, Mr Boadu also announced four party
decisions and five government plans after the more
than four-hour discussion that ended after 11 p.m.
One of the highlights of the meeting was the
action taken over a public spat between Madam
Djaba and the Northern Regional Chairman of the
NPP, Mr Bugri Naabu.

The two had engaged in outbursts, some of which
bordered on defamation after Mr Naabu disrupted a
meeting being held by Madam Djaba in the Northern
Region. The two have since been 'severely
reprimanded' and asked to submit written
apologies.

Good behaviour

Meanwhile, the NC, which took strong exception to
the public outburst of the two, has reprimanded
them and bonded them to be of good behaviour.
 According to Mr Boadu, the council met over the
issue last Wednesday and “expressed strong
disapproval and regret over the actions and
utterances” of the two leading party members.

“Even though the two apologised profusely, the
meeting severely reprimanded them and bonded them
to be of good behaviour. They were also asked to
put their apologies into written statements,”
 the statement issued by the acting general
secretary after the meeting announced.

Allegations are baseless

The meeting was triggered by the recent public
outbursts between Madam Djaba and Mr Naabu, which
many have described as a great indictment on the
government.

The ruling NPP, therefore, reprimanded them over
their recent feud in public. The two clashed last
Friday after Mr Naabu scuttled a meeting which was
being held by Madam Djaba in the Northern Region.
Since then, their altercations have led to name
calling and wild allegations against each other.

They have both apologised over the public
outburst, with Mr Naabu confessing that his
allegations against Madam Otiko about her alleged
involvement in the murder of the late Upper East
Regional Chairman of the NPP – Mr Adams Mahama
– are baseless.

President in attendance

The meeting which had the President, Nana
Akufo-Addo, in attendance saw Madam Djaba
apologising to the President, the NC, as well as
Mr Naabu whom she had accused of receiving cows
and goats from people with the promise of securing
government appointments for them.

Mr Naabu also apologised to the President and the
council and promised to cease public commentary on
the matter.

Other decisions

The meeting also scheduled the party’s 2017
National Delegates’ Conference from August 25 to
27, 2017 in Cape Coast.

The NC  approved the party’s hosting of the
International Democratic Union’s (IDU’s) 2017
executive meeting in Accra from the 18th to 21st
of June, 2017.

The President briefed the meeting on the
government’s programmes on Planting for Food and
Jobs, establishment of the development
authorities, the One District, One Factory
project, the establishment of the Office of the
Special Prosecutor and the sustenance of the
National Health Insurance Scheme

Source - Graphic.com.gh

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