Former General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Lawyer Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie believes articles being authored by former flagbearer hopeful Dr. Kobina Arthur Kennedy mainly against the party’s 2016 Presidential Candidate, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is being masterminded by some executives within the party.
The recent article by Dr. Arthur Kennedy accuses Nana Akufo-Addo of scheming to remove duly elected executives from office due to his dislike for them. He further asserted Nana Addo is surrounded by praise-singers who will only aid in his defeat in the upcoming 2016 elections.
But reacting to the comments, Sir John, as he is known in political circles, said the write-up by Dr. Arthur Kennedy is engineered by some executives who cannot come out openly to voice out their dislike for Nana Akufo-Addo.
“Arthur Kennedy’s write-up is fueled by some executives; he should not get involved with the supposed internal tension going on in the party. He should allow those who think they have issues with Nana Addo to openly come out,” he asserted.
“…I’m disappointed in him; he should not meddle in this issue because I know he has the party’s interest at heart. How can somebody tag a meeting which involves the Flagbearer and other elders of the party as irrelevant? If Kwabena Agyapong sees nothing urgent about the meeting, he is insulting Akufo-Addo and other elders on board….,” he chided.
He, however, dismissed the assertion that Nana Addo supported him [Sir John] and Jake Obetsebi Lamptey against the incumbent National Chairman Paul Afoko and the General Secretary.
“Nana Addo never supported me or Jake in the contest…, Jake and Nana Addo are close, but he never supported him during congress…I don’t know where they got the idea from that Nana Addo does not like Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong,” he stated.
He indicated that it is likely this will not be the last time the party’s First Vice Chairman, Freddie Blay, will organize meetings in the absence of the chairman and the General Secretary of the party as they are bound to travel for other official and personal duties.
He also stressed that the “constitution of the party does not forbid the vice chairman to hold meetings in the absence of the chairman and General Secretary; the chairman and General Secretary cannot determine what emergency meeting is”.
