Following the recent crisis within the leading opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sam Okudzeto an elder of the party has stated that an urgent intervention by former president John Agyekum Kufuor has become necessary to pull the NPP together.
According to him, the disputing factions need to be calmed down for peace to prevail for the good of the party ahead of the 2016 elections.
“He must step in to get the parties together, get the factions together and calm them down,” Mr. Okudzeto said. The legal Luminary stated that the embattled General Secretary should calm himself down and refrained from making those public comments which are riddled with accusations and playing the victim.
"I think there is too much excitement going on and people are losing their heads; what we need now is calm and cool heads so that things can be sorted out; storms do come but when a storm comes, the important thing for us to appreciate is that we need to calm the waters otherwise people can get drowned very easily; in fact many can get drowned in the process and the party can destroy itself," he noted.
He also stated that he would have preferred a dialogue to get the two leaders to step down instead of the public petitions that have been issued which depicts a scenario where everyone is trying to outsmart each other.
"Everybody seems to be so clever and so smart and everybody is talking and to me it is a destructive force that is at work and I think it is time for cool headedness", he argued.
The NPP has been in turmoil since the death of the Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama who was bathed with acid by some unknown assailants leading to his untimely death.
Mahama’s death has provoked anger in the party with large numbers demanding that the National Chairman and General Secretary step aside with the minority members of parliament being the latest to join the call.
Chairman Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyepong have been accused of undermining the party’s chances of winning next year’s elections which led to calls from Regional Chairmen of the party seeking that the two step aside.
Seven of the Regions have appealed to the National Council, the National Executive Committee and the National Council of Elders to ensure that they (Paul Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong) step aside in the interest of the party.
The two are said to be engineering the defeat of NPP flag bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, in the 2016 presidential poll to pave way for them to present their preferred candidate in the 2020 elections.
Afoko has so far not spoken but Kwabena Agyepong has publicly stated that he will see to the end of his tenure. A brother of the Chairman, Gregory Afoko is standing trial for his alleged involvement in the acid attack on the late chairman.
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