NPP Primaries: Aspirants, agents who wage war against the party will be sanctioned - Afenyo-Markin warns

The spokesperson for the New Patriotic Party (NPP) election committee, Alexander Kwamena Afenyo-Markin, warned aspirants and agents against the violation of electoral rules ahead of the special delegates congress because the party will deal with such individuals ruthlessly.

He emphasized that the NPP election committee is committed to conducting violence-free and peaceful elections to uphold the integrity and principles of the party.

Afenyo-Markin urged all individuals involved in the party’s internal election to comport themselves and control their emotions even when triggered in the course of the elections.

Addressing the media on the violent incidents recorded during the NPP super delegates conference, the spokesperson for the election Committee served notice to aspirants and agents that anyone who falls foul of the law will be sanctioned.

“We as the elections committee have this mandate to look into all matters of concern. We therefore call on agents, our science, and the principals themselves to respect such rules. We understand that elections can sometimes trigger emotions.

"But in all of this, prudence expects us to act within the confines of the law. Any party member, any aspirant, or any agent who would make it his own bonafide to wage war against the party will be sanctioned,” he said.

Background

The member of parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, and a member of the Alan Kyerematen campaign team, Hopeson Adorye, have been hauled before the Disciplinary Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) over misconduct and violations of election regulations.

On Sunday, August 27, 2023, in a statement released, the leadership of the NPP acknowledged that there are voting centers that experienced smooth processes, but there were incidents in other centers that need to be reviewed and corrected for the anomalies ahead of the Special Delegates Congress scheduled for November 4, 2023.

During the NPP super delegates conference on August 26, 2023, tempers were high as some candidates felt aggrieved by the actions of some members of the party towards their polling agents and corruption-related activities that influenced the outcome of the election.

Below is what Kennedy Agyapong and Hopeson Adorye said that triggered their summons by the disciplinary committee of the NPP.

Kennedy Agyapong

Fiery Kennedy Agyapong fired a direct salvo at President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia .

In what can be described as the teaser of the main show or sneak peek into the future of the NPP, an irate Kennedy Agyapong was captured in the full glare of the public sending missiles to the Jubilee House with President Akufo-Addo and Dr Bawumia being the primary targets.

An outraged Kennedy Agyapong was captured on video protesting the alleged mishandling of his agent at the University of Cape Coast voting centre.

Kennedy Agyapong believes that associates of the Vice President, who is also a candidate in the race carried out the actions, hence his displeasure.

“President Akufo-Addo, I swear God, I will give you a showdown. Vice president, I will give you a showdown. You’ve chased away my agent for him to hide in a room, we shall see. You will hear what will happen. I swear God, I will challenge President Akufo-Addo anytime,” he said in the viral video.

Prior to the outburst, Kennedy Agyapong had predicted a landslide victory in the Central Region chapter of the party’s Special Delegate Conference.

Hopeson Adorye

Hopeson Adorye, a leading member of the Alan Kyerematen flagbearership campaign in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) alleged corruption on the part of Chief of Staff Akosua Frema Osei-Opare.

Adorye in a rant at the NPP headquarters during the August 26 super delegates conference made two explosive allegations against the Chief of Staff, who voted along with about 200 others at the venue.

The first of his allegations as captured by journalists was that Osei-Opare was working in favour of Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia because she had aspirations of becoming a Vice President under future President Bawumia.

“I am saying that people who have been in the government for these years, they are even old ladies, they still want to continue, so, do you think she is going to vote in a certain direction,” he quizzed when asked about Alan’s performance in the polls. An old lady wants to be a Vice President, how much more the young ones?” he asked.

When pushed about who this old lady was, he referenced the chief of staff citing an electoral malpractice allegation.

“Chief of Staff was here giving money to people, are we afraid? What I fear I don’t talk about,” he said.

Watch the press briefing below

Elections can sometimes trigger emotions but prudence expects us to act within the confines of the law. Any aspirant or agent who makes it his own bonafide of waging war against the party will be sanctioned - NPP Elections Committee

BS/OGB

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— Metro TV Ghana (@metrotvgh) August 29, 2023