NPP and election 2016: Kwabena Agyepong must be watched!

It's been almost a year since NPP went to Tamale to elect new national executives. Between then and now, nothing much has happened on the ground to make any objective thinker believe we are interested and competitive for power come December 2016. Aside the election of a flagbearer which was fixed by the constitution, it's been an explosion of internal bickering at the party HQ most of which I dare say have been petty and needless. The deep suspicions and mistrust that characterized the pre national executives and flagbearer contest are back in full swing but this time it's all domiciled there within the headquarters particularly around General Secretary kwabena Agyepong.

As it stands, the fears that some party supporters entertained for which reason they campaigned against Kwabena which some of us thought were unfounded appear more real than ever. Lately, I sit to wonder how an entire party supposedly full of intelligent people could have erred so gravely on our choice for a General Secretary. While it beats me, am compelled to eat humble pie and beg Sir John for his forgiveness. There certainly must be some truth in the saying, 'the devil you know is better than the angel you don't know'.

My dear brother, Sir John, for the sake of the God of the Sabbath whom thou serves, am down on my knees pleading that you forgive your brother for I have sinned against thee. You saw through the charade and warned me about it but I was too stubborn to think deeply about your insight. Now we are paying dearly and suffering the consequence of my choice.

By my estimation, this is the worst leadership this party has ever experienced. The party has remained stagnant since Kwabena Agyepong assumed office. His earlier campaign talks to strengthen and resource party structures have turned out to be outright lies. When was the last time anyone heard the word 'party structures' from the lips of the GS? Indeed, our party has never been more broke. He accused Jake and Sir John of not knowing how to raise funds though there was a clear road map of how the National Executives elections were going to be organized at a minimal cost but let him tell us how much he has been able to raise since being elected. While Kwabena rightly appreciated the role and value of monies in his campaign to become party GS, that pragmatic reality is suddenly lost on him after winning the election. He almost singlehandedly ensured the party's Presidential Primaries did not happen with his new thesis on Volunteerism. This is the Chief Volunteer Officer who is on salary and who is keen to see party structures work yet employs personal aides and assistants who do not fall within the party structures but am told enjoy allowances and freebies at the expense of the party.

Instead of sticking to running the party's administrative secretariat, our party's C.E.O and General Secretary, 'General 1' Kwabena Agyepong, has been embroiled in one argument or the other. If he is not on radio constantly reminding Ghanaians that, 'I am the general secretary, and I won't tolerate this or that', 'it is the exclusive job of the general secretary to do this or that', 'I am the chief spokesperson of the party', 'I am the chief scribe of the party', 'if any journalist wants the party's view on anything, I am the one to speak to', he will be at the party headquarters insisting that no party person including communicator has license to speak on radio over anything unless sanctioned by him. He is on record to have tried barring Party's communications director Nana Akomea from issuing or signing statements without express clearance from him. Some of us are getting fed up with Kwabena's tantrums that I am daring him to break the skies. Yes, kwabena, break the skies! Why? You want to assume the position of God's own deputy and all powerful so go ahead and break the skies because you have the powers and you can do that! Then he gets into a unilateral mode of making appointments he does not have the power make. First he appoints 9 persons as deputy communications director and have them issued with letters that state 'pending approval". Thankfully, those steps were undone by the NEC and the right procedures followed. Ironically, these rightly appointed deputy communications are yet to be served with appointment letters. They do not even have the luxury of an office space at the HQ to sit and think while his aides who only work for him personally have office and desk space. Remember, Our GS singlehandedly tried fixing Presidential Primaries date to 6th December, 2014 in contravention to what had been agreed to at an earlier NEC meeting. Lately, what he does mostly together with the party chairman is to frustrate attempts to hold regular Steering Committee, NEC or National Council meetings. How many of such meetings have taken place since Kwabena and co assumed office? He fears he might not have his way through the larger body of NEC so he goes into a unilateral decision mode or just try hard to ensure the meeting does not come off. Like happened recently, a steering Committee meeting had fixed a date for a NEC meeting sometime last week. Regional Chairmen were already setting off from their bases en route to the National Capital only to learn that the Chairman, General Secretary and Women's organizer were on a road show trying to get views of party members and executives on when best parliamentary should primaries be held. You ask yourself, what exactly is Kwabena up to? Did kwabena and Afoko not know they would be embarking on this road show before they fixed the NEC meeting date? How come only the 3 of them were part of the road show and the remaining executives like the National, Youth and Nasara Organisers not aware of it? So why did they not complete their tour of the country? Apparently, they wanted for the Parliamentary primaries to be held next year and they knew they couldn't succeed with that proposition at the impending NEC meeting so they thought of how best they could delay and frustrate that deciding meeting from coming off. I guess they got their deserved response from the party executives who demonstrated to them they were in no mood for the kind of unwarranted delays and jokes they wanted to engage in. That melodrama forced for a rescheduling of the NEC meeting.

And for those of you who think it's an expose' of incompetence, I want to tell you it's a lie. This is well orchestrated and the effect of inertia being experienced and complained about by the Ghanaian public as well as party insiders on developments within the party is exactly what Kwabena wants. But why would Kwabena go this far to feign incompetence just to ensure he gets these effects? That is one question we should be concerned about as party members wanting to win elections 2016. From Musa Superior to Nana Akomea, Kennedy Agyapong to Mac Manu and even more of the ordinary supporters who lent our support to Kwabena are all regretting. Shouldn't this be a clear indication that something is wrong?

At a time when stake holders and the Ghanaian public should all be privy to and owning our proposal for electoral reforms, this is when kwabena and his goons at the party HQ insist that the document is shrouded in secrecy. Only a select few are privy to what is contained in the NPP proposals for electoral reforms and kwabena thinks its ok. And then he recalls Mac Manu from the EC's electoral reforms committee only to take up that role with an excuse that a party elder advised him to do so because Asiedu Nketia was personally represented on the committee. Is this not the same Kwabena who told us all during his campaigns that we do not need a GS who was more concerned about responding to Asiedu? Why does he now refuse to appear on a radio platform simply because Asiedu says he has other engagements? And now wants to be on a committee because Asiedu is on that committee. What a joke.

Sir John, Please come for your STONE! And for those of you who doubt that there is an Agenda 2020, am so sorry to disappoint you because there is one. Forget about all the posturing and broad smiles Kwabena. They are all smoke screens. What baffled me most was to realize that there are camps within that agenda group. Alan Cash, if you are sitting back there and naively thinking that the plot of the whole agenda is for your benefit, then am sorry to disappoint you. Don't be fooled because Kwabena Agyepong is scheming and in pole position positioning himself as the ultimate beneficiary of the whole evil plot. I would have said it serves you right because one can only reap what he sows but I leave that for another day. Unknown to some of you in that plot, Kwabena is posturing himself to be the next flagbearer and when that should fail, he is positioning himself to be Dr. Mahmmadu Bawumia's running mate. Imagine the evil plot, you want to plot for Akufo-Addo's failure for 2016 and at the same plotting to become running mate to his current running mate. Kwabena you have failed some of us. The flag bearer is eager to forge a win win relationship with you, even though am sure he knows, you didn't really want him as presidential candidate because that could threaten yours. Why do you want to stab someone who has opened his arms to you?

Kwabena must know that he is being watched because some of us have vowed to ensure that he reaps whatever he sows. He should pray that NPP wins the 2016 election in spite of all the scheming he is involved in just for his own selfish gains else his this will mark the end of his political life. NPP supporters should open their eyes and be alert because there are sheep in wolves clothing. A word to the wise....



Acka-Nyanzu Blay-Miezah

Axim, Evalue-Gwira

ackablaymiezah@gmail.com