Paul Afoko has been suspended indefinitely as the National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party.

The decision was taken on Friday at an emergency National Executive Committee meeting at the party’s headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra.

The decision to suspend Mr. Afoko was unanimously taken by NEC members present, a source at the meeting told Myjoyonline.com.

The party’s Council of Elders in a 7-page letter, in September, to the NPP’s Disciplinary Committee, ordered that steps be taken to suspend Mr. Paul Afoko from the position of Chairman of the largest opposition party.

After several invitations to Mr. Afoko to appear before the Disciplinary Committee were not honoured, the Committee decided to recommend Mr Afoko's suspension.

The party’s First Vice Chairman Freddy Blay convened and chaired a meeting today which endorsed recommendation to suspend the embattled Chairman.

Mr. Afoko had been accused by party supporters of working against the party’ flagbearer chances of winning the 2016 elections.

Joy News’ Kwakye Afreh Nuamah gathered that NPP’s flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo was not at the meeting that suspended Mr. Afoko. Also absent were General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong and Second Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe who are close associates of Mr. Afoko.

Some NEC members seen at the meeting included Chairman of the Council of Elders C.K. Tedam, Council of Elder member Hackman Owusu Agyemang, National Youth Organiser Sammy Awuku and First Vice Chairman Freddy Blay who supervised the meeting as the acting Chairman.

Paul Afoko has criticized the meeting and said it was illegal. He also challenged the authority of Mr. Blay to call for the meeting.

“I also wish to serve notice, and notice is hereby served that the meeting called by Mr. Blay is an illegality and a breach of our party’s constitution,” he said in a statement Friday morning.

But the party has shot down his argument. The meeting was to suspend Mr. Afoko and he cannot be the one calling for such a meeting, a leading member of NPP explained to Joy News.

CLASHES

Earlier in the morning a vigilante group from Kasoa intending to disrupt the meeting had a violent confrontation with the party’s private security, Invincible Forces.

Some people were injured as a result of the clash and movable properties were destroyed, Afreh reported.

Heavily armed police personnel numbering about 15 have now taken over the NPP headquarters where the meeting was ongoing.