NPP cautions presidential hopefuls

The General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party, John Boadu, has admonished individuals wishing to lead the party in the future to take the necessary steps to rein in their supporters and ensure that their individual ambitions do not affect the party’s forward march.

Mr Boadu gave the caution in a statement signed by his press secretary, Iddi Muhayu-Deen, following a press conference held last week by a group purporting to be a pro-NPP group, the Ashanti Patriots Movement.

The group had alleged that with regard to the NPP’s next presidential primaries to elect a flagbearer to lead it in the 2024 election, supporters of Mr Alan Kyerematen were being victimized with suspensions for merely declaring support for the Trade and Industry Minister, whereas those who had declared support for Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia were not visited with similar sanctions.

To this end, the group asked Mr Boadu to resign since he was unable to enforce the code of conduct issued under his hand.

On the basis of this, the group contended that it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the NPP to ‘break the 8’, as its members may be forced to vote against whoever the party brings as presidential candidate in the 2024 general elections.

Response

The General Secretary, in responding to other claims made by the group, disclosed that the said group is alien to the NPP, and had never been part of the party’s volunteer groups in any previous elections.

“In fact, the convenor of the group, Emmanuel Osei-Gyamfi, who addressed the presser, is NOT even a member of the party.

“Records show that he voluntarily forfeited his membership of the NPP (even if he ever was) when in 2020 he filed to contest as an Independent Parliamentary Candidate in the Atwima Nwabiagya North Constituency of the Ashanti Region,” he said.

He continued, “How can somebody who is not a member of the NPP purport to lead a group in the party to fight for the interest of Alan Kyerementen? It is not surprising that the group would threaten that they may vote against the party’s Presidential Candidate in 2024 if their concerns were not addressed.”

Mission

According to Mr Boadu, the group can only be said to be on a mischievous and destructive mission, and therefore urged Mr Alan Kyerematen to dissociate himself from its diabolic agenda against the NPP.

The NPP General Secretary also categorically denied the group’s allegation of discriminatory application of the party’s Code of Conduct against the supporters of Alan Kyerematen as a presidential hopeful. He explained that until the party opens nomination for presidential primaries, there cannot be any aspiring presidential candidate duly recognized by the party.

“It is also to be noted that when party members are suspended on allegations of misconduct, as in the case of what happened in the Northern Region, the Party Constitution provides the aggrieved members a remedy in Article 4.

“The party’s disciplinary and grievance procedures do not permit the General Secretary to directly interfere in disciplinary matters at the constituency and regional level until the necessary processes are initiated to invoke the jurisdiction of the National Disciplinary Committee and the National Executive Committee,” he said.

Cracking of whip

He said the Code of Conduct launched by the party in July 2021 expressly provides clear procedure for handling alleged breaches of party rules.

He assured firmly that the party had resolved to crack the whip when it becomes necessary in order to ensure party discipline and sanity, which are the essential prerequisites for victory in the 2024 elections.