General News of Wednesday, 18 September 2013

Source: Daily Guide

Maintain Afari-Gyan – Akpaloo yells

Founder and leader of Independent People’s Party (IPP), Kofi Akpaloo has waded into the debate as to whether Dr. Afari-Gyan should supervise the 2016 polls.

According to the businessman and politician, any attempt to change Dr. Afari-Gyan would not augur well for the country’s democratic development.

Several New Patriotic Party (NPP) bigwigs have been calling for the dismissal of Dr. Afari-Gyan, arguing that the EC chairman did not properly oversee the 2012 polls so he should not lead the Commission to organize the 2016 polls.

But Mr. Akpaloo, who disagrees with the views of the NPP members, stated that his teeming supporters would oppose any attempt to replace Dr. Afari-Gyan with another personality.

The IPP leader insisted that for him Dr. Afari-Gyan and the EC did a yeoman’s job in the 2012 polls and expressed surprise that some people were calling for the head of the EC chief.

Instead of calling for his removal from office, Akpaloo suggested that the EC boss should be praised for the role he played since Ghana started the democratic journey in 1992.

The IPP Founder, in a chat with Kwadwo Marfo of Kapital Radio, stated that the peace being enjoyed in the country did not come on a silver player, stressing that people like Dr. Afari-Gyan had played a leading role.

Mr. Akpaloo said the NPP were acting like bad losers so instead of accepting the defeat in the 2012 polls, the largest opposition political party chose to blame an innocent man for their misfortune.

He said the NPP, after being declared losers in the 2012 polls, decided to go to court to seek justice, adding that the nine justices of the Supreme Court have provided so why are they still worrying Afari-Gyan?”

Ghana currently doesn’t not have any competent and experienced person to lead the EC, according to him.

Akpaloo said if Dr. Afari-Gyan is replaced, the NPP would in 2016 accused the new EC boss of masterminding its defeat in the elections, saying “Let’s maintain Dr. Afari-Gyan.”