The National Council of the opposition New Patriotic Party has given clearance for processes to begin to suspend the party’s chairman and General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong.

The Council has in a 7-page letter 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.

This was after the Council met with Mr. Afoko over some turbulence in the party.

The letter, signed by the Chairman of the Council, CK Tedam was copied to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and the Minority Leader Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu.

"The National Council of Elders has taken a number of steps resolve tensions within the party particularly from the Regional Chairmen level to the National Chairman following the murder of the Upper East Regional Chairman, Mr. Adams Mahama."

The Council of Elders said it held several meetings "in our attempt to resolve the challenges facing our party" with the latest being a July 30, 2015 meeting with Mr Afoko and the General Secretary of the NPP, Kwabena Agyepong to discuss the state of the party.

At every meeting of the Council it was stressed that party matters should be kept out of the media. The Elders say Paul Afoko disregarded a party position to keep internal party matters out of the media.

"It therefore came as a shock of our teeming supporters, NEC and the National Council of elders to read in the dailies...a statement from one Mr. Nana Yaw Osei who described himself as the spokesperson of the national chairman of the NPP Mr. Paul Afoko about fighting corruption at all levels of the party. This was immediately followed by one Mr. Baah Acheamfour who proceeded to make a complaint to the police."

The letter said Mr. Afoko has gone further to give a statement to the police which is likely to take the matter out of the hands of the committee members and also give the matter more publicity.

 The elders said the chairman's acceptance to allow the intrusion by the police in the party's internal matter following the complaint of a so-called party member leaves much to be desired.

"The conduct of Chairman Afoko and his alleged spokesperson is in gross and flagrant violation of Article 3d (VIII) of the NPP's constitution under duties of a Member which states that a member shall not initiate commence or prosecute any legal proceedings whatsoever against the a party or any member of the party relating to party affairs without first exhausting the grievance procedure laid down in the Constitution in respect of grievances against the party or any other members," the letter said.

 

 The National Council in May this year asked the National Chairman and General Secretary to step down. But the call was rejected.