The National Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) are coming under attack over their handling of funds released to them for the by-elections they prosecuted in Kumawu and the Assin North constituencies winning one and suffering defeat in the other.
The Herald is picking up reports of an internal storm brewing over the huge sums dished out to the NPP National Executives from the Presidency running into millions of Ghana Cedis to enable them secure the two seats for the party to alter the hung Parliament.
In the case of one of the elections, a budget of 7 million cedis was submitted, but 5 million Ghana cedis, was given out by the Presidency, but key individuals – names withheld – were said to have under-declared the money and pocketed a huge chunk of the sum.
This development is said to be creating confusion amongst the party executives at the headquarters with an implosion expected soon.
Ahead of the June 27, 2023 Assin North by-election, another huge sum was collected, but there are again reports that the money was not used well, despite several reports of vote-buying.
While, some have suggested a total wastage of money in Assin North with many executives in jamboree with girls and booze in fully booked hotels within the constituency, others have told The Herald about how some of the NPP national executives are even buying landed properties from proceeds after prosecuting the two by-elections.
Despite standing criminal trial for five charges, James Gyakye Quayson, on Tuesday, became the Member of Parliament-elect for the Assin North Constituency when he won the June 27 by-election. The Electoral Commission (EC) announced that he garnered a total of 17,245 votes, representing 57.56percent of the total votes cast.
His closest contender, Charles Opoku of the NPP, received 12,630 votes, accounting for 42.15percent of the votes, while Bernice Enyonam Sefenu of the Liberal Party Ghana (LPG) secured 87 votes, which represented 0.29percent of the overall tally.
Meanwhile, the party is beginning to react to the defeat it suffered with the National Organiser, Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as “Nana B” coming under attack from a member of the communications team, Emmanuel Osei Gyamfi.
According to him, all the programmes Nana B, has organised since he took office have brought confusion to the party.
“All the programmes he (Nana B) has organised since he became national organiser have led to division in the NPP. This is killing the love the people of Ghana have for the NPP. Now there is no love in the NPP, the love is gone.
“Because divisiveness is what the Nana Boakye-led administration has brought to the NPP, in the area of organisation,” he said in Twi in an interview on Kumasi-based Akoma FM, on Wednesday, June 28, 2023.
Osei Gyamfi, who made these remarks while reacting to issues that happened at the last rally of the NPP in the Assin North Constituency, accused Nana B and other executives of the NPP of orchestrating to undermine one of the party’s presidential hopeful, Alan Kyerematen.
“Charles Opoku, did not get the chance to tell the people of Assin North his vision. All they were doing is engaging in internal politics to give Bawumia the mileage. All their focus is projecting Bawumia,” he added.
Osei Gyamfi, also slammed Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia for gate-crashing the speech of one of the party’s presidential hopefuls, Alan Kyerematen, during the party’s last rally in Assin North for the by-election.
According to him, Dr Mahamudu and his campaign team, intentionally made him (the vice president) pass through the crowd to distract and undermine Alan Kyerematen, who was addressing the rally.
“The president of the republic, when he was coming to the rally passed through the approved route… if not to distract Alan or disorganise him why would they make him (Bawumia) pass through the crowd.
“One of Bawumia’s supporters at the Jubilee House told me that it was the organisers who made Bawumia pass through the crowd; is Bawumia deaf, when he was coming and he heard Alan Kyerematen, a founding member of the NPP, speaking, couldn’t he have stopped.
“Bawumia, who is part of the 2008 group of the NPP, because he has no respect did not even tell the people who were supposedly forcing him to go through the crowd that they should wait for Alan to finish addressing the rally,” he said in Twi in an interview on Akoma FM, on Wednesday.
He said that Alan, as the true gentleman he is, maintained his composure and kept smiling as the incident was happening.
Osei Gyamfi, also said that the decision to make the vice president go through the crowd of people was totally senseless since he could have been attacked.
He added that the attempt by some persons in the (NPP to use the Assin North by-election to project Vice President Bawumia, was part of the reasons the party lost the by-election.
“Nana B” has since issued a public apology to the former Minister of Trade and Industry and flagbearer hopeful for the NPP, Alan Kyerematen on the back of the mishap during the Assin North by-election campaign, which caused significant embarrassment for Kyerematen.
Speaking about the incident to Accra-based Okay FM, Nana B, attributed the mishap to lack of communication between the handlers of the vice president and the campaign organizers.
“I have seen some of the circulating videos and I must say that in every organization, we get some of these lapses. There was a lack of communication between us, the organisers and the handlers.
“When you pay close attention, the explanation to it is that the president was coming. So, the vice president’s handlers out of good fate, which one would have thought that the vice president will leave the stage before the president comes. However, the time they took to do that didn’t go well,” he said.
The National Organiser, further added it was not intentional to publicly embarrass the former minister.
“I will not offer a lot of explanation, but as a National Organiser, I was not visibly happy that Alan kyerematen is speaking then this happens.
“I will want to use your platform, and, in all humility, what happened was not because someone planned it. In all humility, let me apologise unreservedly to Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen for the small hitch that happened when he was speaking at the Assin North constituency campaign. It was a lapse that happened,” he added.
The incident, captured in a viral video, showed Alan Kyerematen addressing constituents at Assin North when Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, joined him on the platform.
Veep was introduced to the crowd, while Alan Kyerematen was still speaking.
The scene was not pleasant for the flagbearer hopeful, who was also a contender against the vice as both are vying to be the party’s flagbearer.
More to come!
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