The leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has announced that Hopeson Adorye, Yaw Buaben Asamoa, Nana Ohene Ntow and Boniface Abubakar Saddique are no longer members of the party.
This follows their public endorsement and campaign for an Independent presidential candidate, Alan Kyerematen.
A statement, signed by the NPP General Secretary, Justin Kodua Frimpong, said the four had forfeited their membership in the party for their flagrant breach of the party’s constitution, particularly Articles 3(5) (A)(4) and 3(9)(1).
The statement noted that Article 3(5) (A) (4) of the NPP Constitution urges all members of the party to “abide by and publicly uphold the decisions of the Party.”
Article 3(9) (I) of the party’s constitution further stipulates that “A member of the party who stands as an independent candidate against the officially elected member of the Party or who joins or declares his or her support for another Political Party, or for an independent candidate when the Party has sponsored a candidate in a general or by-election automatically forfeits his or her membership of the party.”
The party urged its members to support efforts to “unite its ranks and rally the support of Ghanaians to make history by winning the 2024 general elections.”
Acceptance
Meanwhile, the expelled members have accepted the party’s stance, and pledged commitment to the country’s success through their support for Alan Kyerematen.
Mr Buaben Asamoa, in a statement issued yesterday, acknowledged that “our public conduct in unconditionally and with great conviction supporting the highflying independent candidature of Alan Kyerematen for president is against the NPP constitution, which provides for automatic forfeiture of membership under article 3(9)(1). That is incontestable and therefore needs no formal written notice.”
However, he raised certain concerns, and referred to portions of the NPP constitution, specifically, article 55(2) which gives a right to join political parties and also gives a right to support political activity as an independent under 55(10) and (16).
“Considering that the right of a political party to sponsor candidates does not exclude the right of independent candidates nor their supporters to participate in general elections, it may not be prudent to continue to reduce ones’ membership with archaic rules,” he argued.
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