The New Patriotic Party (NPP) must sanction former Energy Minister Boakye Agyarko for openly declaring his intention to contest for the flagbearer position of the party, Frederick Opare-Ansah, a general secretary aspirant said.
Agyarko declared his ambition on national radio on Monday (20 June), a move political watchers say is in clear violation of the party’s procedure.
Opare-Ansah also said Agyarko had flouted the party’s rules and regulations and must not go unpunished.
Talking to sit-in host of The Asaase Breakfast Show, Benjamin-Offei-Addo, the former Suhum MP said failure to punish him will embolden other presidential hopefuls.
“You also remember I mentioned about applying the rules fairly and firmly. Hasn’t this party sent out some code that nobody should talk about their presidential aspirations? The party has, so some people are bigger than the party, they can go out and talk about their presidential aspirations.
“This is the problem, the first thing to do is to even crack the whip, not just for anything that he might have said against the party or against the president, but even for the declaration of intent, because the party has made it clear that nobody should do so,” Opare-Ansah said.
“No one is above the law in the party. If you don’t then it opens the floodgate and also it raises the issue of what the person is saying, because if we are not careful, it takes away the attention from the fact that the person has flouted some part of the regulations,” he added.
Watch Frederick Opare-Ansah in the attached video below:
Punish officials endorsing presidential hopefuls
A political marketing strategist with the University of Ghana Business School, Dr Kobby Mensah has advised the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) to crack the whip by punishing government appointees, who are using their platform to endorse flagbearer hopefuls of the party.
On Monday, the Minister of Education Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum subtly endorsed the presidential ambition of the Vice-President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia at a public event in the Ashanti Region.
“Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia is someone who has showed loyalty and commitment to the President and the New Patriotic Party,” Adutwum said at the event. “He has served Africa and Ghana well and shown that he is a competent and visionary leader.”
“My only wish is that God grants him his heart desires and when it is time, myself, Nananom (chiefs) and the Bosomtwe constituency will support him to realise that dream. He is a good man and we will support him to succeed and achieve whatever that it is on his heart,” the education minister said.
Deepening cracks
Talking to Beatrice Adu on The Big Bulletin, Mensah said such actions if not punished will deepen the division within the party.
“I remember during the polling executives’ elections, people were sanctioned for ostensibly showing support to Alan Kyerematen, for example. Yet we have heard quite a number of people posturing and nothing happens to them and I think that is very unfortunate, and that is exactly what brings the divisions,” he said.
“Remember that the president had actually issued a directive that people must focus on their work… and had actually issued [a directive] that whoever does party politicking in times that they are supposed to work, he was going to take action against them. Yet we see people going about throwing shade or some kind of support and they are never cautioned.
“So, I think that the party must start taking actions or must be seen acting on some of these things. People in government must stay away from these issues so that they don’t get carried away or lose focus on the bigger things making sure that they deliver on the president’s promise than using their platform for campaigns,” Mensah said.
Fred Dzakpata
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