Re: The Expulsion of NPP Members Who Join Alan.
There is some inconsistency and confusion here. On Tuesday, September 26, 2023, Delali Adogla-Bessa reporting for yen.com.gh, quoted the General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Justin Kodua Frimpong, as saying, “NPP not expelling members who follow Alan Kyerematen… they have freedom of association.” The General-Secretary went on to advise party members not to attack Alan.
Then, last week, the same General Secretary came out to state that supporting Alan amounted to forfeiting NPP membership, and promised to issue a communiqué to make an official declaration.
And this week begun with the sacking of four top members of the NPP by the General Secretary in accordance with Article 3. 9 (1), which states: A member of the Party who stands as an independent candidate against the officially elected member of the Party or who joins or declares his or her support for another Political Party, or for an independent candidate when the Party has sponsored a candidate in a general or by-election automatically forfeits his or her membership of the Party.
The four gentlemen were, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Saddique, Yaw Buaben Asamoah and Hopeson Adorye.
Only in September, 2023, the NPP General Secretary said the Party will not expel anyone who followed Alan and no one should attack Alan Kyerematen. And in less than two months, he has served notice to expel any party member who follows Alan. Why this inconsistency? Why this confusion? What has changed?
I strongly believe that if Bawumia is to win 2024, it will all depend on Alan Kyerematen. And people know this, so maybe someone up there in the NPP does not want Bawumia to win, so that he, she or they can hijack the Party in opposition and rule over it forever.
On the run down to December 2024, the two main political parties, the NPP and the NDC will need to make political alliances with Alan Kyerematen in anticipation of a run-off. The question is, as things stand can the Bawumia led NPP form an alliance with Alan, the independent candidate?
Now, if indeed the election of December 7, 2024 becomes inconclusive and thus the need for a run-off, this could be the scenarios.
A). Bawumia leads with 39%, Mahama comes second with 37% and Alan clocks third with 23%. Can the NPP go into negotiation with Alan? Mind you, most of Alan’s supporters would have been expelled from the NPP, and so they will not be obligated to tow the Party’s lines.
B). Mahama leads with 39%, Alan comes second with 37% and Bawumia clocks, third with 23%. After declaring Alan supporters who were once in the NPP as no longer party members, is it likely that the NPP will go into alliance with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), so, that for the second time in history, a United Party (UP) Tradition party, will go into alliance with a socialist party against another party from its tradition?
The events of 1978/1979 which led to Paa Willie abandoning the Progress Party membership to form his own party, even though he lied about leaving politics to be a reverend minister, can be replayed in 2024. Paa Willie’s United National Convention (UNC) turned its back on Victor Owusu’s Popular Front Party (PFP) and made Limann win the presidential run-off.
And when this repeats itself in 2024, that will be the end of the NPP as a new UP Tradition party will rise from the Movement for Change.
Another problem may arise out of this. Come January 2025, Hon. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen becomes H.E. Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen. He will be the first president without MPs, since he was an independent candidate. By law, he is required to have at least 51% of his ministers coming from Parliament. Will the Party led by, Chairman Steve Ntim and General Secretary Justin Kodua Frimpong be able tolobby Team Alan, which will be led by Nana Ohene Ntow and Boniface Saddique, about NPP MPs the Party will wish Alanchooses as his ministers and deputy ministers? Or will the NPP dismiss its MPs who Alan chooses without consulting the Party? Will these MPs be considered moles, who secretly made Bawumia lose?
These are things, the NPP leadership should have seriously considered before making outlaws out of party members who support Alan.
Certainly, someone within the NPP does not want Bawumia to win, hence such hostilities shown against party members who were told only in September that they were free to follow Alan because they have freedom of association, but only to be dismissed from the Party, barely two months later.
Yes, there is a Party Constitutional provision which supports what Justin Kodua Frimpong is doing. But, could it not be overlooked? Remember, there was Art.12 (b) which was about the nomination of the Vice Presidential Candidate, which originally stated that “The Vice Presidential Candidate shall be a known and active Member of at least five (5) years and shall be nominated by the Presidential Candidate at least twelve (12) months before the general elections when the Party is not in government or the sitting President is not the Candidate.”
In 2008when then presidential candidate, Nana Addo, nominated a non-party member, in the person of Dr. Bawumia, he violated the Party’s Constitution. It took the party hierarchy through Nana Ohene Ntow, one of the people, Justin Frimpong has sacked from the Party, to waive off that clause.
And Bawumia has been NPP ever since. In order to legalize that illegality, the Party later added to Art. 12 (b) that, “The National Council may however dispense with the requirement under special circumstances.” In 2008, Justin Kodua Frimpong was a twenty-six-year-old young man. Fifteen years down the line, he is now in charge and can apply the rules as written. If waiver can be given, then why not waive Art. 3 (9.1) and let peace prevail?
And by the way, what is Art. 3 (6.3) in this matter? This provision reads: Ordinary Members shall not automatically forfeit their membership upon breach of any provision of this Constitution, except when that Member is an officer of the Party, in which case he/she may be compelled to vacate his/her position without necessarily losing the right of membership. Do the dismissed four, hold any office in the Party or government?
The Holy Catholic Church, which is a church with in-depth knowledge about the Sacred Scripture has been able to fully explain, among many, the Ten Commandments. For example, the Eight Commandment says, “Thou Shall Not Steal.”
To the Church this does not only mean, taking someone’s belonging without their prior notice and agreement. The Church probes deeply that, if a worker reports to work later than he should and leaves work earlier than he should and at the end of the month, he collects his full salary, he has stolen. He received money for no work done.
Using, this Catholic Church’s teaching as a preamble, I can say that there are many NPP members, especially those in official positions, who violate Article 3.9 (1) with such impunity, but are still in the Party.
During parliamentary primaries, while the local party members know the one who could win the most votes in the constituency, some persons from the presidency, the party’s national and regional offices will descend on that constituency and push in another member who cannot win. The clarion call is always, “This is the one chosen from the top, he or she is fit to be MP, not the one you have.” The party becomes divided and most likely it will lose the seat.
In 2016, the NPP had a very good candidate in Korle Klottey in the person of Nii Noi. He won the primary alright but Lawyer Addison felt he was not treated fairly. Instead of dealing with the matter in fairness, another primary was organized and there, things that should not happen, happened. Addison won alright but went on to lose the elections.
There are situations where party parliamentary candidates are fought by Party officials who make sure they lose the elections. 2020 had cases of sitting MPs, seeking re-election, being campaigned against by powers-that-be, and finally losing their seats. What has the Party done to members who violated the related provision of the NPP Constitution?
There was an instant when NPP polling agents were bribed by NPP officials, so that in collaboration with the presiding officers, the votes of the NPP candidate were credited to the NDC candidate.
And what about situations where the two NPP candidates on the ballot papers scored less than five votes in a polling station area, where there are five polling station officers? A case in mind is the Kongo Polling Station area in the Shai-Osudoku Constituency.
The General Secretary of the NPP must be aware of all of the above, which are gross violations of Art. 3.9 (1) that led the Party to lose so much seats in 2020.
A sitting MP who felt cheated in the primary and stood independent, was sacked from Parliament and the Party. But after he won the seat, the Party found it necessary to go down on the knees and beg him to join the NPP MPs in the House so that the Party can form majority in the House.
All those who contributed to the Party losing seats in 2020, by pushing in losers, and/or campaigning for candidates other than NPP’s, must also be disciplined, if the General Secretary wants to be fair.
The NPP has not dealt with such situations to keep the Party, clean, just and in harmony and yet it has started cleansing itself off Party members it may surely need after December 2024.
Justin Kodua Frimpong must reconsider what he said and is doing, especially since he is contradicting his earlier statement, or else the NPP will go down on its knees again, begging.
The real problem facing the NPP now is being overlooked. I have recommended and I am recommending again, that the Party organises super-durbars in each constituency and hear the entire membership express their views. It is important.
Hon. Daniel Christian Dugan
