NPP likely to suffer from apathy in 2016 - Ben Ephson

Editor-In-Chief of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, Ben Ephson has described the on-going bickering within the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) as a situation that has the tendency to degenerate into apathy in the 2016 elections as the party suffered a similar fate in the 2008 elections.

According to the renowned pollster, factions in political parties are normal and that the Alan-Nana Addo faction in the NPP is similar to Rawlings-Mills-Mahama in NDC, as well as Abu Sakara-Samia factions in the CPP; adding that the seriousness of factions is when it is not resolved in time, leading to political parties breaking up.

Elaborating on the apathy, Ben Ephson hinted that the NPP is likely to suffer the same fate as it happened in 2008 when it lost power as incumbent to the ruling NDC.

He asserted that it is the Alan-Nana faction that has manoeuvred its way into the new executives as many believe the attempt to change the old security guards and the dismissal of Opare Hammond and Perry Okudzeto from the party Headquarters is masterminded by Alan’s supporters to part away with people they suspect are from Nana Akufo-Addo’s camp.

Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme, Ben Ephson averred that the gravity under which Kwabena Agyapong and Paul Afoko decided to effect changes in the party without the consent of the rest of the executives give room to suspicion that they are getting back at some people in the party.

“These actions of Afoko and Kwabena Agyapong will make it difficult for Nana Addo to entrust his campaign into their hands when he wins the primaries because their actions fit into the speculation that they are against Nana Addo…for the rest of the executives apart from Afoko and Kwabena to deny that there was a Steering Committee meeting before the appointments were made, then there is something wrong and that has to do with a lot of mistrust.

"...If peace prevail at the national level but the constituencies and the districts continue with the pain, the only action that will be taken is to sit at home without voting for the party, it is true that after the disagreements and fights the party will come back strong to contest the election, but there is something we call apathy which affect many political parties in their strongholds…apathy happened to NDC in the 2000 election, and it lost the elections and in 2008 NPP suffered the same apathy and it is likely that it will face the same fate if NPP doesn’t resolve its differences on time,” Ben Ephson warned.