Suspended National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Paul Awentemi Afoko is winning the hearts of many bigwigs and supporters of the biggest opposition party in his pursuit to overturn the National Executive Committee’s decision to suspend him indefinitely, The aL-hAJJ can confirm.
Aside youth groups daily and openly declaring their support for him to use the justice system to fight what they described as injustice meted out to him, a number of big shots of the party are reported pledging solidarity and allegiance to the business magnate’s action at the Human Rights Court in Accra.
Party insiders told The aL-hAJJ that some leading members of the NPP, both home and abroad, now convinced beyond reasonable doubt that Nana Akufo-Addo has destroyed the party and its chances in 2016, have decided to rally around Mr. Paul Afoko to restore hope and position the party to form the next government after John Mahama.
Among party gurus throwing their weight behind Afoko whom they now refer to as “the Messiah,” according to a dependable source, include founding members, some members of the council of elders and national, regional and constituency executives and influential Members of Parliament, regrettably, including the slain Akuakwa North legislator.
Checks in the house of the legislature by The aL-hAJJ revealed that the minority bench is almost equally divided along the lines of the party Flagbearer and the suspended chairman.
Nonetheless, there is a commonality amongst the minority MPs, that is; regardless who wins or loses the court case, they are united in fighting to win their respective constituency elections.
Most party heavyweights, sources say, are highly optimistic that the suspended National Chairman is most likely to win the court case either at the Human Rights Court or even on appeal and as such have been mulling over how to run the party thereon.
There are also reports of ongoing meetings to strategize on the way forward after the court verdict and, on how to rebrand the party and make it more attractive post-Nana Akufo-Addo era.
Following his indefinite suspension by the NPP NEC for alleged constitutional breaches, Paul Afoko on December 7, 2015, commenced proceedings at a Human Rights Court in Accra against the NPP and its first vice chairman, Freddie Blay; on grounds that his suspension, which was subsequently ratified by the National Executive Council of the party; was unconstitutional.
In a writ of summons issued against the NPP and its 1st vice chairman, now acting National Chairman, Paul Afoko is among other things praying the court to declare his suspension null and void.
Last week, a pro-NPP group based in the party stronghold of Ashanti, Youth for Afoko, openly stated their intention to support Paul Afoko in his court action.
According to the group, Paul Afoko’s dream of upholding the tenets and ideologies of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition “is what drives us most to support him.”
In a statement jointly signed by leaders of the group, Barima Sarpong, Charles Macarthy and Nana Yaw Sarpong, the group noted that they share the sentiments of the suspended Chairman for which reason he is seeking redress in court.
Source: GhanaWeb
