Mac Manu settles NPP Greater Accra dispute

Peter Mac Manu, National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, has tasked the Greater Accra Regional branch of the party to be up and doing whilst urging feuding parties to put a stop to the internal petty wrangling which has of late rocked the party at that level.

The NPP Chairman gave the admonition in an exclusive interview with The Statesman after a meeting held between the party's National Executives and Greater Accra Regional Executives and the Executive members of all the constituencies in the region at the party"s headquarters last Friday.

The extra ordinary meeting was called by the party’s national leadership to resolve amicably the problems bedeviling some of the constituencies in the region.

According to Mr Mac Manu, though the number of parliamentary seats in the region had over years been increased by six, the performance of the Greater Accra branch in terms of parliamentary seats controlled by the NPP has not been encouraging.

Some of decisions reached at the meeting were the need for greater communication at all levels, regular executive meetings, speedy resolution of conflicts, formation of Council of Elders at each constituency, and the cessation of sudden passage of a Vote of no Confidence.

Article 15 of the NPP constitution mandates every constituency to have Council of Elders but according to Mac Manu this important body is being overlooked hence every conflict has to come to the national level for resolution. He said their existence could facilitate speedy resolution of disputes to avoid long delay in dealing with petitions.

The suspension of two MPs in the region, Nana Akomea, Okaikwei South and Theresa Ameley Tagoe, Ablekuma South were also lifted.

Again, all illegal associations within the party have been banned with the exception of Tescon, Youth Wing, Women’s Wing, Nasara Club, International Wing which are constitutionally mandated to operate.

Emerging groups such as Greater Accra Organizers Association, Young Elephants, Association of Women’s Organizers have been pronounced illegal.

The NPP Chairman advised party members to exercise patient in seeking redress to their grievances.

Nana Akomea, also speaking to this paper after the meeting warned that unless Sammy Crabb, Greater Accra NPP Regional Chairman, turn over a new leaf of his administrative style, the problems would rather escalate.

"I hope after this meeting he changes his administrative style, the problems are going to be worse and he is going to be swept away with the problems,” he warned.

He wondered why within a year of assumption of Mr Crabbe many of the constituencies in the region are having problems saying, “it has never been so in the past with Regional Chairmen.”

The Okaikwei South MP explained that the emerging groups in the party were due to selective style of the Regional Chairman, who created the impression that constituency chairmen were like Chief Executive Officers of the party. Apparently, this explains why various constituency chairmen became subject of vote of no confidence.

According to him, MPs who by the party’s constitution are members of the regional executive committee have never been invited to a meeting since Crabbe’s administration.

Nana Akomea noted that leadership is not about putting up structures and dictating but how to deal with people and to be able to them along. The MP, who was a former Information Minister, lauded the national leadership for such an important and assured his preparedness to work with his constituency and regional executive members.