Before I come to the topic 'how Kufour used Northern NPP Chairmen and dumped them', I would want to discuss two important issues. The first issue is about text messages I receive on daily basis. Some are commending me and revealing many happenings and issues within the NPP (some of which I will not dare write on for the sake of party Unity) while others are anonymous text messages. The second issue is about a statement from the National Chairman of NPP Peter Macmanu.

Three of the numerous anonymous text messages I received went as follwos: "Why is that it is only you Northerners (Ntafo) that are on Kufour's neck. Corrupt Hamid and Stupid Haruna, you are threading on dangerous waters. We will chase you out of NPP like Rawlings did to some ungrateful NDC members." The second reads: Your Akufo-Addo can never be President. He got 49% in the NPP Primaries and 49% in the 1st round of the elections. He got 49% in run-off. His prik is 4.9 inch short. He cannot grow taller than 4.9ft nor can he ever get more than 49% votes. Be careful stupid Zongo Boy". The third one read as follows: "I don't blame you for insulting Kufour.It is because you are 'fucking' an Ashanti girl and has even given birth with her. I even wonder if you are NPP". Dear readers I leave this for you to judge and comment on these messages.

I am not used to replying text messages but I was compeled to reply to the first as follows: "I will not talk about your ethnocentric effusions. I would never insult Kufour but will talk about my party. Anyway I'm not perturbed about all your insults because I have a thick skin for them or else I would not have been able to take on John Mahama and NDC for many years in a constituency like Bole=Bamboi. I faced insults, threats, harassment and all sorts of abuse in the dark days of opposition because of NPP. You remain my friend"

To the second one, I replied as follows: "I am not writing because of support for any individual party member. I once worked for Akufo-Addo as a member of his Communication Committee but now belong to the NPP and not any individuals. In any case I do write on Akufo-Addo too so what is your beef. You remain my friend". To the last one I replied as follows "I do not want to talk about my 'fucking' an Ashanti girl because that is so trivial and inconsequential to me. But on the issue of whether I'm an NPP member or not, I wish to say my records in NPP have been documented. I come from a proper and pure Danquah-Busia family. My grandfather Mr Braimah Salifu was a staunch member of the Northern Peoples Party (NPP)and later the United Party (UP). My father who did many things for Kufour was Youth leader of the Progress Party in Bole and was commended by K.A. Busia for his hard work and financial support to the PP after the party won the Bole (then Gonja West) seat in 1969. My father was also the leader of the Popular Front Party (PFP) in Bole and from 1992 to 2007, Chairman of the NPP in the Bole-Bamboi Constituency. He only resigned because he is suffering from diabetes resulting in blindness and has been in-doors since then. You remain my friend".

Did I hear the leadership of NPP warned that 'it would deal drastically with any party member who will hide behind the so-called post mortem analysis to bring the name of the party into disrepute?. “I am sending this warning to party members that we shall deal strongly with any member who brings the party’s image into disrepute”, Peter Mac Manu, the National chairman of the party said.

According to Mac Manu, since the party is governed by a constitution, the leadership would take punitive action against members found to have misconducted themselves with regards to Article 4 (7) of the party’s constitution. He said that the party has appointed a committee, led by Dr. J. Heyman to go round the country to find out why the party lost the elections. He regretted that instead of people sending their views to the committee, they have rather chosen to go public, thereby ridiculing the party.

“The radio and the newspapers are not the place to solve problems. It amounts to misconduct, and if anybody is found culpable, we shall apply the provisions in the constitution without fear or favour, because the party frowns on attempts to bring its name into disrepute.”

Mr. Perry Okudzeto, the deputy Communications Director of the party has also said that those who disgrace the party in public must be dealt with according to the dictates of the party’s constitution. He said, it was unfortunate that certain individuals have arrogated to themselves powers to conduct post-mortem analysis of the 2008 painfuldefeat by blaming other individuals for it.

He warned that the party would not accept any attempt to destroy individuals in the party; including former President Kufuor. He said a proposal would soon be forwarded to the leadership of the party recommending drastic actions to be taken against recalcitrant party members who would undermine the constitution of the party.

“The party has structures in place for dealing with grievances, and for any member who unilaterally decides to show gross disrespect to the party must be dealt with accordingly,’ he said. Some members of the NPP have attacked the leadership of the party in public, calling for heads to roll over the defeat of the party in the 2008 elections. This, Mr. Okudzeto noted, was in a bad taste. According to him, though NPP believes in entrenchment of democracy, washing its dirty linen in public must be condemned.

To that end, he urged the leadership of the party to take bold and drastic actions against people whose move seem to undermine the unity,fortunes and cohesion of the party, to serve as deterrent to others. “The media is not the best place to address our issues. If you have an axe to grind with any party leader, the best way is to properly table it through the party channels, rather than resorting to the media. We cannot fold our arms and watch people sow seeds of discord among us.Those people must be brought to order.

Hmmmmmmm! I have tonnes of things to say on this issue but will for now keep mute because Mac Manu is my man.

Watch out for the concluding part of my features on Kufour.

Mahama Haruna

email-maharun1@yahoo.com Tel.- 0243-313-113

The writer holds a B.A Degree in Communication Studies (with Specialisation in Journalism) from the Ghana Institute of Journalism. He was a former General Secretary of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) and a former a Constituency Secretary of NPP for Bole-Bamboi.