NPP Grapples With Internal Faction

THE EASTERN Region branch of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is battling with two factions described as illegal groups in the party's camp.

The two groups, Chronicle learnt, call themselves Association of Polling Station Chairmen (APSC) and Young Elephant movement (YEM).

The party managed to dissolve the YEM quite recently, but soon after another group, APSC, emerged and wanted to hold constituency congress for the Koforidua executives.

The leaders of APSC, according to a party source at the regional secretariat, notified the branch of its intention to elect executives for the Koforidua constituency and asked for their blessings.

The regional secretariat upon receiving the letter described the group as an illegal one and in turn notified the Regional Minister, Dr. Francis Osafo-Mensah, the Electoral Commission and the Eastern Regional Police Command, requesting the two bodies to counsel and prevent the association of holding the congress.

These were all contained in letters signed by the Eastern Regional NPP secretary, Mr. Seth M. Ahyiah. Copies of the letters which are in the hands of Chronicle made it clear that members of APSC were polling station agents who were engaged by the party in 2000 general elections to monitor the exercise.

The regional party office made it clear that polling agents are different from polling station executives of the party.

It called on the members of the APSC to reason with both the Koforidua constituency and the regional secretariat of the party, saying "NPP is disciplined and has rules governing it such that no member is bigger than the party."

When the leader of APSC, Mr. Felix Adjei, was contacted, he denied that the association arrogated to itself the power to elect an executive for the Koforidua constituency.

He described the association as a caretaking one, which meets from time to time, deliberate on party issues and disseminate to supporters and the general public the party's functions.

Felix Adjei stated that the association was not agreeing to certain policies which they thought will not serve the party and the people right.

Members showed copies of invitations the secretary wrote to them as delegates to elect executives at the constituency, which was slated for September 14 but never came off.

According to the group, since they opposed the idea of the regional executives the procedure where polling station executives were supposed to vote has been changed.

Now a new list of prospective delegates is being compiled for the forthcoming congress.

When contacted again to cross-check this latest observation recently at the swearing-in ceremony of newly elected members of New Juaben Municipal Area (NJMA), Mr. Seth Ahyiah, asked this reporter to go and write whatever he has and that he will fire a rejoinder.