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AfricawatGMSc publicationh l April 2016

A 44-PAGE SPECIAL REPORT GHANA The NPP crisis

SPR 10 $4.00 BATTLECDN $3.00 US READY 04 Paul Afoko vows to fight NPP ‘intolerant

0456698 93707 militant wing’ till his last drop of blood

US: $5.00 l Canada: C$4.00 l UK: £3.00 l South Africa: R24.95 l Nigeria: N400 l Liberia: US$4.00 l Sierra Leone: LE9,000 l Gambia: D80.00 l Kenya KShs300 l Ghana: GH¢10.00 Ghana New Patriotic Party BATTLE READY Paul Afoko vows to fight NPP ‘intolerant militant wing’ till his last drop of blood

Africawatch Special Report April 2016 PAUL AFOKO National Chairman New Patriotic Party Paul Afoko Standing tall in the NPP storm Written by Baffour Ankomah and Steve Mallory

his in-depth report covers the ongoing dramatic events around Paul Afoko, as he takes on what he calls an “intolerant militant wing” within Ghana’s opposition TNew Patriotic Party (NPP) that is trying to push him out of the national chairmanship position. Afoko is pushing back hard and has dragged the party into court. Standing up for what is right requires tremendous courage, but Afoko is determined to fight to the end against what he thinks has gone terribly wrong inside the party, which involves gross violations of the NPP’s constitution. The struggle in the NPP is getting very intense and has serious implications that could affect the soul of the party. Afoko believes this is all worth the risk to get the party to honor its own constitutional principles, as they were written. These are very rough times for the NPP.

s 4 Afoko: How Akufo-Addo 22 A tale of serious financial

t turned against me mismanagement n The life and mes of Paul Afoko Afoko on the future of the NPP: e 10 26

t ‘We will survive this crisis’

n 14 Afoko’s court bale 28 Afoko: ‘A few people cannot o 20 Shocking revelaons be allowed to hijack the NPP’ C Afoko: How Akufo-Addo turned against me

The NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo-Addo (left), originally promised not to stand in the way of Paul Afoko becoming the national chairman of the party, but then turned against him when push turned into shove. Akufo-Addo once told him, “if the party decides to look to the north for a chairman, you will find that I will not be your enemy.” Yet the presidential candidate still betrayed the national chairman. But Afoko has refused to back down, and standing on the letter of the law as written in the NPP constitution, he has risen to confront the faction in the NPP that sought to remove him by any means necessary. The ensuing and very public battle of right over might has implications that go far beyond what may seem an internal party struggle – there are some very powerful questions at play here, over power and leadership, and ultimately protecting true accountability in the democratic process.

aul Afoko did not come to the in his office in the Accra suburb of Labone, New Patriotic Party (NPP) with a group of six NPP friends who were chairmanship lightly. A lot of concerned that their party had been wrongly thinking went into it. For labeled as an Akan party, a perception that starters, he did not want to be had gained currency among Ghanaian chairman in the first place. He voters, thus losing the party crucial votes becameP chairman only by default, he tells that could win it power again. The more the Africawatch, because the people that he and perception was repeated, the more it was a group of NPP friends had targeted for the taken to be the truth by non-NPP supporters position all turned it down. whose votes the party needed to help it One day in June, 2013, Afoko was sitting cross the constitutionally required 50%

4 Paul Afoko tells how he was betrayed by the NPP presidential candidate, Nana Akufo Addo, after promising not to stand in his way to the national chairmanship.

5 plus-one mark to recapture national power. Although the next general elections were fully three years away, in November 2016, Afoko and his NPP friends felt it was time the party did something to correct that misconception. The earlier, they thought, the better. As they brainstormed, one thought crystalized into a firm idea. The party must pick a northerner as national chairman. Having reached a consensus on the idea, Afoko and his friends drew a list of possible candidates for the position, and approached them one by one. Unfortunately, all of them turned it down. At the home of one of the targeted candi- dates, the last one in fact, the man refused the offer pointblank but did something more. He turned to Afoko and asked him why he, a northerner himself, would not run for the chairmanship as he was equally qualified for the position Afoko shook his head furiously. “I am a businessman,” he protested to the man. “I am ready to support you financially through a campaign. I will back you.” The man was not impressed. “No, no, don’t come talking to me,” he shot back at Afoko. “Do it yourself.” Afoko was stunned by the man’s reaction.

‘I do, I do’

When Afoko and his friends returned to his Labone office, one of them asked him, “Seriously, why don’t you want to do it your- self?” Afoko shook his head again, frantically this time, saying no to them. But after some time, when they could not find any north- erner willing to become NPP chairman, Paul Afoko (at head of table) and Nana Akufo-Addo (third from left) in Afoko volunteered to do it. an NPP caucus meeting. Those good old days of unity are over, due to the This is how Afoko became national chair- lack of respect for the viewpoints of others in the party. man in 2014. Before then, he started a round of consultations – from his father, then to former President John Kufuor, Kwadwo Mpiani, Nana Akufo-Addo, and other key cocaine into the UK. And the NPP Vetting thing where you will never know who that people in the NPP – to inform them of his Committee referred the matter to Interpol. person is because it wasn’t a true name. And intentions, before starting his campaign. It took Interpol six weeks to investigate the there was no address. Nothing! Laughable! He tells an interesting story about when allegation and clear him. Interpol wrote back And this was done by the great NPP he went to see Akufo-Addo in his home to to the Vetting Committee, saying: “The National Vetting Committee led by Rt. Rev. tell him his reasons for running for the chair- subject you referred to us, Paul Afoko, is not Dr. Asante Antwi, a former president of the manship. After explaining to Akufo-Addo known to any police force.” Afoko says “that Methodist Church of Ghana. But I just took why he and his friends had decided on a was simple and straightforward, meaning I it in my stride and went off campaigning for northern chairman for the party, Afoko says have no criminal record. I had never been the chairmanship.” Akufo-Addo sat back for a while and said to arrested!” him: “If the party decides to look to the north Yet the Vetting Committee would not Beginning of troubles for a chairman, you will find that I will not clear him, only doing so grudgingly at last. be your enemy.” Afoko says he then asked for the name of his In the end, against the wishes of Akufo- Thus, Afoko left Akufo-Addo’s house safe accuser. Earlier, the Vetting Committee had Addo and his faction, Afoko was elected in the knowledge that Akufo-Addo would not refused to disclose the name to Afoko, saying national chairman at the NPP congress held stand in his way to the chairmanship. But the onus was on him to prove his innocence in Tamale in April 2014. And then his that was not to be. rather than to know whom his accuser was. troubles began. When push came to shove, as Afoko’s Now that Interpol had cleared him, the First, the state in which he found the NPP campaign was in full flight, he started Committee was more forthcoming to disclose was really shocking. The party was in deep getting reports that Akufo-Addo did not the name to him. trouble financially. After all the millions and want him to be chairman. But Afoko says: “They gave me a single millions of Ghana cedis the party had raised Someone from the NPP communications sheet of paper, a mockery actually, because two years previously, prior to and during the department even put out a lie about him it was a plain paper with two paragraphs on 2012 election campaign, Afoko could not having gone to jail for seven years in the UK it purported to be the petition they received, believe his eyes that the great NPP, the for importing commercial quantities of and a name at the bottom. It was the kind of party that had ruled Ghana for 8 years

6 (NEC) has disclosed that Akufo-Addo was Akufo-Addo. Afoko remembers that during present at the meeting that took “the illegal the course of his campaign for the national and criminal decision” to reactivate the chairmanship, word reached him that Akufo- party’s controversial dormant account at the Addo and his men were nervous about him. Ecobank into which party funds were He says people even tried to force him to say diverted by the national treasurer and his he would support Akufo-Addo in the presi- accomplices, a scandal that further poisoned dential primaries when he wins the chair- the atmosphere in the party. manship. “I told them no! I will do no such Afoko says he faced challenges as national thing,” he recalls. chairman because he wanted to reform the He tells how when he arrived in Takoradi party. “It was the reforms that I wanted to during a campaign stop, he was taken to undertake in the party that triggered all this greet one of the members of the party’s – the very idea that I wanted to reform the Council of Elders. According to Afoko, the party offended the intolerant militant wing. man sat there and told him to his face: “If Bullies were called in to harass me and they you promise me you are going to become even pulled machetes on me at the party chairman and work for Akufo-Addo, you headquarters,” he says. have my vote and I will talk to the other But reforming the party was one of the members of the Council of Elders to support main reasons why Afoko wanted to be chair- you.” man in the first place. He explains: “The Afoko says he looked at the man straight NPP is the largest party in the country, only in the eye and told him point blank: “Sir, I we are not big enough to cross the 50% mark am sorry to disappoint you. I will not back by ourselves. So if we are able to organize any candidate. If I win the chairmanship our affairs in such a manner that we are position, I will remain neutral in the presi- really tight, and put the building blocks in dential primaries. If you will not vote for me place, we shall win power again. And those because of that, please don’t vote for me.” He were the things I really wanted to put in then got up and left the man’s house. place as national chairman.” He adds: “As I went to talk to constituency Akufo-Addo, the presidential candidate, executives nationwide, the question always stands to gain the most if the party wins thrown at me was: ‘So what happens when power again, and yet he would not support you become the national chairman, would Afoko in these matters. “I don’t know what you support Akufo-Addo in the primaries?’ advice he got. I don’t know what thoughts “I told the constituency executives that went through his head. I wasn’t privy to any when you pick your presidential candidate counsel he received. But the truth is that he and give him to me as national chairman, turned against me,” Afoko says. then we will together carry that candidate to Afoko recalls how “Akufo-Addo and his Flagstaff House [the seat of government]. It between 2001 and 2008, had only a miser- men tried to set aside the will of the party cannot be the other way round. The candi- able 89 (eighty nine) Ghana cedis in its and impose their will.” He tells a story that date cannot carry the party; the party has to official bank account in April 2014. And that happened early last year, at a meeting in carry the candidate. I explained to them that was the only account controlled by the party Felix Owusu-Agyapong’s house in Accra, if we obey our constitution and follow it at the time! when he told Akufo-Addo straight in the face conscientiously, all will be fine. There Yet the scandal of all scandals was that – in the presence of the party’s General is nothing to worry about and I did not there were multiple accounts all over the Secretary Kwabena Agyepong, Vice-Presi- understand why some people were nervous place with the party’s name on them but dential Candidate Mahamudu Bawumia and about me.” operated by people who were not NPP four members of the Council of Elders – that elected officials or even official appointees. what Akufo-Addo and his men were doing Who is really the leader? The only qualification for them was that was wrong, telling lies about him. And that they were “very close to Akufo-Addo.” One it was taking him and Akufo-Addo closer and The troubles that the NPP currently faces such account operated by one of those closer to the edge of a precipice, and once stem partly from the fact that the NPP shadowy figures, incidentally, had a whack- they get to the edge and Afoko also begins to constitution does not strictly name anybody ing US$48,000 in it, while the party had only tell his side of the story, both men would go as the leader of the party, a leader who has 89 Ghana cedis in its official account. over the edge into an abyss and they would the final say in overall party affairs. “This was how bad it was in terms of go in together. “To all intents and purposes, the constitu- NPP’s financial affairs,” says Afoko. “There It is amazing that the relationship tion does not even mention the word was no accountability and transparency in between the national chairman and the pres- ‘leader,’” explains Afoko, yet he does not the party’s finances.” idential candidate has become so tense. Yet accept the argument that the founding Afoko and his team of new executives in two general elections – 2008 and 2012 – fathers made a mistake in not having named therefore had to take radical action to rescue Afoko had worked hard for Akufo-Addo, and a clear leader who is the final arbiter in the party’s finances from the hands of the gave him a lot of money for the election cam- party matters. Indeed the constitution says “unelected” people surrounding Akufo-Addo. paigns, even though he did not support the national chairman is the convenor of all This obviously was resented by the affected Akufo-Addo in the primaries of 2007 and the major organs of the party and shall people, leading to a poisonous situation in 2010. preside at all these meetings. the party. This great loophole in the party’s constitu- Shockingly, Afoko reveals that a letter Like and dislike tion means that a strong presidential can- written by the lawyers of the party’s first didate, as the party has now, can see himself vice-chairman, Freddie Blay, to a sub-com- It appears that the game of “like and as the lord of the party even though the con- mittee of the National Executive Committee dislike” is not mutual between Afoko and stitution does not give him any such

7 power. According to Afoko, the NPP consti- party, until we elect the next presidential the party and final arbiter to whom everyone tution simply says the presidential candi- candidate.’” defers, even though the party constitution date is there to lead a campaign to win the Knowing this, when Presidential Candi- technically does not give him any such presidency for the party. The candidate has date Kufuor won the 2000 election and powers. no other role. The constitution therefore became the President of Ghana, “the quin- So when it is said that Akufo-Addo does leaves the day-to-day administration of the tessential democrat” (as Afoko calls him) not like you, or cannot work with you, or does party in the hands of the national chairman, approached the party hierarchy asking them not want you elected as a party officer, it and yet it does not explicitly name the to amend the constitution and make him the sounds like a death sentence. national chairman as “the leader” of the “leader” of the party. That was the problem that confronted party who becomes the final arbiter. According to Afoko, Kufuor may have Afoko when he became national chairman. This amorphousness is subject to abuse, looked at the practice in Britain where, when The presidential candidate turned against and unfortunately, during the tenure of the Conservative Party are in opposition, the him even before his election at the Tamale Afoko as national chairman, this vagueness national chairman is the leader of the party, congress, and when he won against the odds, the sword of the presidential candidate dangled over his head like the Sword of Damocles. That is why the reforms Afoko wanted to introduce to make the party winnable again went absolutely nowhere. Interestingly, if Afoko had had Akufo-Addo’s support, the reforms would have succeeded. But the powerful presidential candidate was not interested. Sadly, Akufo-Addo’s word appears to carry so much weight in the party that when he speaks against something, that thing becomes doomed or nobody can do otherwise. Afoko tells how, as national chairman, he tried to use the party’s Disciplinary Committee to bring the party’s fast-talking MP, Kennedy Agyapong, to heel. But he was stopped by Akufo-Addo. Agyapong’s “reckless conduct and pro- nouncements are very damaging to the party and its fortunes,” Afoko says. “The party has members from every corner of the country but Agyapong gets up and spews hate speech against Ewes, Gas and Northerners. If you were an NPP member from any of these ethnicities, how would you feel? This man Paul Afoko: “It is not that Akufo-Addo does not like Paul Afoko as a gets up and calls his fellow party members person. If there was another independent-minded person like me becoming idiots, and stupid people. He goes on the the chairman of the party, Akufo-Addo may not like that person either.” radio stations and even insults former President John Kufuor, the party’s only living legend.” But Afoko says Akufo-Addo stopped him was abused by the presidential candidate, but when they are in power the prime from touching Kennedy Agyapong. Freddie Akufo-Addo, and his camp, who arrogated to minister is the leader. Blay, an Akufo-Addo loyalist, even insisted themselves the powers of the leader of the “But the party said a flat no [to Kufuor]. that Agyapong was a “gem,” implying that party, and therefore made things difficult for ‘No, you are our candidate, win or lose, you he should be allowed to go on his merry way Afoko and some of the other national officers are out. We can’t concentrate power in the no matter whose ox he gores. that they did not like. hands of one man,’” Afoko recalls the party The indiscipline in the party took another In the past, when presidential candidates telling Kufuor. “I was at that meeting when form in 2014 when, Afoko recalls, he learnt knew their place and limitations, and their the party said no to Kufuor,” Afoko adds, for very late in the day about four Serbians that followers kept within the rules, things good measure. Ken Ofori-Atta, a cousin of Akufo-Addo’s, worked well in the party. Clashes only had paid and brought into the country to occurred when the presidential candidates A different presidential candidate train some NPP people camped at a hotel at tried to overreach themselves. Mile 7 in Achimota, Accra – a training An example of this happened in the 1990s Unfortunately for Afoko, during his reign program whose contents, Afoko says, during the reign of National Chairman Da as national chairman, Presidential Candi- shocked him to his bones when he read Rocha when Presidential Candidate Prof. date Akufo-Addo, by virtue of the fact that them. Adu Boahen tried to create the impression he has been presidential candidate over two And all this happened behind the backs of that he was “the leader” of the party. election campaigns (2008 and 2012), has the top people in the party, including the But, as Afoko explains: “Da Rocha came naturally accrued extra-territorial powers national chairman and even the members of out and pronounced: ‘Adu Boahen, the over time, and thus in Akufo-Addo’s own the Steering Committee. It is the same elections are over, you have lost, please go eyes and in the eyes of many in the party, Serbians that President John Mahama’s back and join everybody in the party. I, as and even outside the party, the presidential government says were brought into the coun- national chairman, will continue to run the candidate has become the de facto leader of try to train the NPP in civil insurrection.

8 Afoko says when he got to know about the the Akufo-Addo camp. First Vice-Chairman to control the party today, the intolerant training, he was beside himself with rage. Blay was appointed acting national chair- militant wing of the party, are the ones who “These [NPP] people were out of their minds. man, and National Organizer John Boadu may be labeled as such. Not only that, they They wanted to win the elections on the was made the acting general secretary. are anti-northerners.” streets of Ghana and not at the ballot box,” According to Dr. Richard Anane, NPP he says. “That is the militancy I am talking ‘I won’t run again’ Member of Parliament for Nhyaeso: “if you about. I told them that I, Paul Afoko, as look at the charges proffered against them chairman of the NPP, would never allow Because of what has happened, Afoko says [Afoko and others], then you have to believe them to take the party on that crazy route. he will never run for the chairmanship that there is something amiss. The lack of In the presence of the Serbians, I admon- again. “No, I will not put my hat in the ring respect for the viewpoints of others in the ished our party people and asked them to again,” he has vowed. party is very worrying. When you are in a leave the hotel immediately and go home.” Afoko has also decided not to financially party, you must accept the fact that it is Today, Afoko says he regrets “that I did and materially support the party in its made up of all manner of people and not all not push my reform agenda aggressively current state. Should the party change of them will share your views … this is one enough, regardless of the resistance. Second, course, Afoko says he would also change his of the major things some of us think seem to I underestimated the viciousness of the mind. For now, he is supporting some NPP be going on currently in the NPP which may intolerant militant wing and thought I could parliamentary candidates who have not auger well for the party. The party will reason with them, but all they wanted was approached him for financial resources for have to sit up and purge itself of whatever will not inure to the benefit of the democratic dispensation that we are in.” A leading member of the NPP and former chief of staff, Kwadwo Mpiani, describes Afoko as a “fine gentleman” and his suspen- sion as “wrong.” He insists Afoko “is still the chairman” of the NPP. What baffles many people is the intransi- gence of the Akufo-Addo faction in the party. As Africawatch understands, 22 meetings were held inside the party to find an amicable solution to the crisis, but to no avail. Even the International Democrat Union (IDU) sent officials from the Christian Democratic Union of Germany to Ghana to help the NPP resolve its crisis. Again, to no avail. Finally, the Asantehene Osei Tutu II intervened, but his efforts were deliberately undermined by the suspension of Afoko.

Conclusion Dr. Richard Anane Kwadwo Mpiani Things have gone from bad to worse within the NPP, and this very public battle now promises to set new levels of amaze- to hijack the party, using diabolical schemes the 2016 elections. ment and disappointment among citizens for their own personal gains. And third, I “I made immense financial contributions who think they have seen it all. trusted some of the wrong people in the to the party in the last two general elec- The constitution of the NPP does not name party.” tions,” Afoko says. “Ask yourself who was the who is the leader of the party, the one who “While the intolerant militant wing was presidential candidate in those two has that final say over all party affairs, and plotting against me, creating too much elections? Akufo-Addo. And not only did I now Afoko has openly challenged the Akufo- gridlock and undermining anything I did, as put my financial resources at their disposal, Addo faction which he believes is going well as manufacturing and fabricating lies to I worked hard on top of that. And now I against the words of the party’s constitution, destroy me, I wanted to expose them for become national chairman of the party and and he is fighting back – from within that what they were – political savages – but I am told, ‘Go away. We don’t like your face.’” very party he has supported for so long. some of these people would come to me Afoko believes he is standing on the letter of quietly and plead with me to hold my fire. Not an Akan party the law, that all that has been thrown They told me: “No, no, you are the national against him is an unjust and destructive chairman of the party, please don’t talk, Even after being treated so shabbily by power play. don’t do this or that.” So for almost two the party, the man from the north insists The upcoming court verdict will help years, I sat there and got maligned and that the NPP cannot be labeled as an Akan decide that, but many other issues have vilified only to realize that these same people party. “I can tell you firmly that the larger arisen in this very public battle. It is clear were working in tandem with the intolerant part of the NPP, the overwhelming majority Afoko is standing up for the party, but it militant wing. In politics, you never know,” of the party, is not tribalistic. No!” Afoko means going against the presidential candi- says Afoko. says. “If you look at it seriously, over 5,000 date, Akufo-Addo. The result of such a Interestingly after Afoko, General Secre- NPP delegates chose a northerner, Paul confrontation could lead to a better and tary Kwabena Agyepong and Second Vice- Afoko, as national chairman. And only 77 clearer understanding of how power is Chairman Sammy Crabbe were suspended NPP people sat in Accra and removed the shared in the NPP, or it could rip the party (the three men say their suspensions are northerner. So the party cannot be tagged an apart, leaving no hope for the NPP in the illegal), they were replaced by loyalists from Akan party at all. But the people who want upcoming elections. l

9 Afoko: ‘I hate injustice’ The life and times of the man at the center of the NPP storm

From humble beginnings, Paul Afoko has grown into a wealthy businessman and an astute politician who cannot just be pushed away. In this profile piece, he tells Africawatch how he does not compromise “certain basic principles” and will die standing by them. This makes his fight in the courts against the “intolerant militant wing” of the NPP a battle royal in the making.

aul Afoko is a giant with a wing” that wants to dominate the NPP. that statement and laugh. Yes, I laugh.” friendly face and a pleasant A successful businessman, who has Afoko thinks that some sinister forces comportment. All six feet four bankrolled the NPP when the going was good within the NPP are using the murder of inches of him attest to his heavy – and that period spanned a decade and a Adams Mahama to give him a bad name and body mass and sheer height. half and two general elections – Afoko was hang him, because Mahama had taken sides When he stands by the average born on August 31, 1954, the son of Asianab against him in the NPP wrangles. GhanaianP man, Afoko towers over him, with Afoko, a member of the Sandema royal “It was all part of the engineered efforts by head and shoulders to spare. family in the Upper East Region. the intolerant militant wing to remove me as As a suspended national chairman of the His father was a former representative of national chairman, but it will not succeed,” troubled main opposition National Patriotic the Upper East Region on the Council of Afoko says. “My brother had nothing to do Party (NPP), Afoko has been compelled to State from 2001 to 2008 and he died in 2015. with it, and he was nowhere near Adams beef up his security detail. But once you cut The senior Afoko was a reputable politician Mahama when the incident happened. through his tough security cordon, you meet in his own right, having served in various Gregory was at home sleeping, and the a man so amiable, well spoken, intelligent, positions in the opposition United Party (UP) police came and woke him up and arrested and politically aware, as well as an art lover political tradition that transformed into the him even though he was sleeping in the same (his collection is quite impressive), that you Popular Front Party (PFP) in 1979; the same room as my late dad.” wonder why he is getting all this trouble political tradition that gave birth to the NPP from his own party. Though it must be in 1992 of which Paul Afoko would become Dirty politics pointed out, that the trouble is coming not national chairman in 2014. Thus, the blood from the party as a whole, but from “an of the UP tradition runs through the veins of It goes to show how dirty politics can be. intolerant militant wing that has occupied a the Afoko family – Paul even says it runs But politics have always been in the Afoko certain position of influence” in the party, as through their DNA. family. Paul’s paternal uncle, Akantisi Afoko puts it, a bit ruefully. Paul has nine siblings and they are all well Afoko, an equally respectable politician, was Afoko, who will be 62 in August this year, placed, both in Ghana and abroad, though elected to the pre-independence Legislative describes himself as “a humble person, kind, one of them, Gregory, who lives in Bol- Assembly on the ticket of the Northern but I can also be very firm, and I can be gatanga, is now facing a court case for being People’s Party, which later became part of uncompromising about certain basic princi- allegedly involved in the murder of the the opposition UP formation during the reign ples. I will stand by those principles and die former Upper East regional chairman of the of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Kwame by those principles.” NPP, Adam Mahama. Nkrumah. But Akantisi would later cross the Despite the more than strong hint of stub- Afoko says Gregory is innocent and is carpet to join Nkrumah’s Convention Peo- bornness in stating his case of dying for basic happy that the case is now finally coming ple’s Party (CPP) when Ghana became a one- principles, Afoko repeats for the sake of to court after almost a year under police party state in 1964. emphasis that he is a “kind man, I am investigations. “They say they have now got Although most northern politicians who humorous, and I am fair but firm when I am enough to charge him,” Afoko says, his voice entered national politics in the country provoked.” full of sarcasm. “Justice will surely prevail usually came from a royal background, Paul And who wants to provoke such a giant, and my brother will be acquitted.” Afoko, although a royal, did not come into who has financial muscle to boot? Few He added: “I wish I were at liberty to politics because of such a background. He people apparently – especially from what he publish the indictment statement for people believes his interest in politics was kindled now describes as the “intolerant militant to look at. Even me, as a layman, I look at in him by his father, as he was growing up.

10 Paul Afoko: “I believe that where there is justice, there is harmony. Where there is injustice, there is discord. That is why I went into prison and into exile.”

As a boy, Paul studied at the Bawku concurrently, including farming, the hospi- My dad used to tell me, ‘Oh, you have Secondary School and Navrongo Secondary tality industry, the oil marketing industry, stopped going to church, you will come back, School. When he went into exile in Britain in the aviation industry, and interests in real you will come back.’” June 1982, he enrolled at the London School estate in Accra and Tema. And true to his father’s prediction, as the of Economics (LSE), part of the University A Catholic by faith, Afoko says: “There aging process gradually took hold of the once of London, for a degree in International was a time when I thought I had left Catholi- young man, who developed an informed faith Relations. cism. But sometimes you just find yourself rather than the blind faith of his boyhood, In exile, Afoko married his British wife, in a moment of distress and you start and thanks to his love for Thomas Paine’s and he has four children. reciting your prayers in your head, and you book, The Age of Reason, Afoko has returned He has various business interests running just find yourself on your knees praying … to Catholicism in a more practicing way,

11 Paul Afoko (R) with his father, Asianab Afoko (second from left) and his two sons. Afoko does not regret his long years in exile because that exile gave him a family and an education.

even though, he says, he is not now staring constitutionally elected government. their guns and run out of the country,” the down at his mortality. That “injustice” pushed the young Afoko young Afoko calculated. and other youths into the streets of Bol- That was a bad provocation, dangled dan- Political career gatanga to demonstrate their anger against gerously before a trigger-happy and jittery what they saw as an illegality perpetrated military at the time. It could only have come Although in the mid-1970s Afoko stood up by the Rawlings PNDC in overthrowing from youthful exuberance, the kind that against General Ignatius Kutu Acheam- Limann’s government. should carry a health warning. And for the pong’s Union Government idea, he cut “Principles have to be defended,” Afoko pleasure of doing that, Afoko says, “Rawlings his political teeth proper when Flt-Lt Jerry tells Africawatch, “so I joined a group of dispatched a military contingent to come John Rawlings overthrew President Hilla people to invade a radio station in Bolga, and after me.” Limann’s government on December 31, 1981. we took it over. I made an announcement He was arrested in Bolgatanga, in the Afoko says he hates injustice. “I really saying: ‘We are civilians, we didn’t have northeast, and taken to Gondar Barracks in hate it, so I always try to fight for the weapons to go and fight those military Accra in the southeast. He was later moved underdog,” he explains. “I believe that where adventurers, but we have an unassailable into the Usher Fort Prison in Accra where he there is justice, there is harmony. Where weapon, which was our collective labor as a stayed for seven months without a trial. there is injustice, there is discord. That is country.’” But as fate would have it, during a failed why I went into prison and into exile.” So Afoko urged Ghanaians, wherever they countercoup against the PNDC, staged by a Not a man to compromise “certain basic were, to put down their tools and go home in group of youthful soldiers led by Alidu Kofi principles”, Afoko, then a young man living protest against the Rawlings’ illegal actions. Giwa on June 19, 1983, Giwa and his friends a peaceful life in Bolgatanga in 1982, could If they were market traders, they should broke into the jail where Afoko and the other not take the “injustice” of seeing Rawlings, take their goods home. If they were teachers, political prisoners were being held. “I will having executed Ghana’s former military doctors, nurses, all of them should put down never forget that day,” Afoko says. “It is leaders in 1979 for not respecting the oath their tools and bring the country to a halt, etched in my memory. It can never be they took when graduating from the Military just to see if Rawlings and his soldiers could erased.” Academy to defend the constitution of the run the country on their own. That jailbreak afforded Afoko the chance country, now turning around to commit “I said the economy would grind to a halt to flee to the UK where he rebuilt his life. the same offense by overthrowing Limann’s within a week and the soldiers would leave Today he looks back on those years in exile

12 and says: “I stayed in exile for years, but I wouldn’t say exile was bad for me because I had an education and a family in exile.” But while in exile, he restrained his political activities because of warnings passed on to him by his father, who called to tell him to think about the safety of the fam- ily members he had left behind. “You are safe now,” his father told him, “but for the sake of those you left behind in Ghana, please be careful with your political activities.” By then, the PNDC had confiscated all his father’s assets because of Paul. “They took everything! The Agyekum Tribunal confis- cated all my dad’s assets. They literally turned him into a pauper,” Afoko recounts. His father, Asianab Afoko, only got his assets back when the NPP came to power in 2001, under President John Agyekum Kufuor. The National Reconciliation Com- mission returned the assets to him, but, as Afoko asks, “in what state?” Some of the assets had been run down, especially the ones used by the People’s Defense Commit- tees (PDCs). “When they heard that the properties were to be returned to the original owner, the PDCs stripped the houses down before they left, including the window and door frames,” Afoko remembers. “They took all of them out. They left empty shells.” Not surprisingly, when Afoko returned to Ghana in 2000, he found that the NDC, founded by Jerry Rawlings, was not the party for him at all. “Because even the parent body of the NDC, the PNDC, jailed me without trial,” he says. “So even for my own emotional reasons, I couldn’t join the NDC.” In contrast, the NPP was a natural home for him. “It was just a smooth transition,” he says. “It was a coming home in more ways than one, a coming home to the political tradition that I had always known and loved Paul Afoko with ex-President John Kufuor, a statesman Afoko calls “the dearly for which I am now prepared to sacri- quintessential democrat.” Afoko sees Kufuor as his political hero and mentor fice everything to protect its constitution and who, when in power, united the NPP through his even-handedness with indeed its soul.” all the elements in the party. Political principles

In 2014, Afoko was elected as the national headquarters. But a few people cannot be political lengths to get what they want, chairman of the NPP, against the wishes of allowed to hijack the NPP … I will fight despite the clear threat to the entire party, the party’s presidential candidate, Nana them till my last drop of blood.” and its chances in the upcoming national Akufo-Addo, and his faction, who now It is clear that Afoko is a man of strong elections, speaks darkly of those willing to appear to have an upper hand in the party. principles, who is willing to literally stand play such political games just to take more Because of that hostility, life as national tall for what is right, and in this case, has power. chairman has become a horrifying one for stood up in the middle of the NPP party and Paul Afoko is standing up in direct oppo- Afoko. publicly announced that something is very sition to such forces in his own political He was eventually suspended indefinitely wrong there. It is also clear that he will not party, willing to take the fight as far as it in November 2015 when the party’s Council be bullied or made to stand down, and so this must go. One can only hope that the legal of Elders petitioned the Disciplinary Com- confrontation will be played out at the outcome will be just. But what cannot be so mittee to remove him, an action Afoko says highest levels and fully in the public eye. The easily rectified is the damage this is causing is against the party’s constitution, leading entire chain of events makes it abundantly to the NPP internal democratic system itself, him to take the matter to court. “The very clear that politics is not a clean game, and both as it is perceived by the public, and in idea that I wanted to reform the party that there are those that will shoot them- the actual workings of the NPP proper, offended the intolerant militant wing. selves in the foot, if not the head, to get what whose arrogance on the part of a few, may Bullies were called in to harass me and they they want. The fact that a small faction in just have cost the political dreams of NPP even pulled machetes on me at the party the NPP is willing to go to these savage members, all across Ghana. l

13 Executing a critical election campaign in the teeth of a major court case brought by a leading national officer of a party is not a prospect any party would relish. But that is exactly the situation that Ghana’s main opposition New Patriotic Party has brought upon itself. It has suspended its national chairman, Paul Afoko, causing him to take the party to court. Afoko says he is taking this fight full on not for himself, but to stop the destructive elements within the party from shredding their own democratic credentials. He feels that if they succeed, more than the NPP will be endangered – because the democratic principles of the nation will be at risk. The NPP has some brutal months ahead of it as the future of the party is now at stake.

14 Afoko’s court battle

he time has come for somebody for the party’s constitution. to stand up and prevent an According to him, this open breach and “intolerant militant wing” of the other illegal actions regarding the the New Patriotic Party (NPP) constitution are an alarming trend, and that from “shredding the party’s the very decision to suspend him is uncon- constitution,” states Paul stitutional. Afoko,T the national chairman of the party, The National Executive Committee (NEC) and he is in court to do just that. “My court has no jurisdiction to indefinitely suspend action is about the breaches of our party’s an elected national officer, as it is in direct constitution, that’s all,” he explains. violation of Article 10 of the party’s consti- He is praying the court to pronounce tution, which outlines the issue of removing that the party’s constitution, “the very elected party officers. embodiment of our principles, has been The general secretary of the party, violated badly, and that we should go back Kwabena Agyepong, and the second vice- and obey our own constitution.” Otherwise, chairman, Sammy Crabbe, have also been he says, the chaos that might unfold in the suspended by the National Executive Com- future could be even worse than what is mittee in equally bizarre circumstances. currently afflicting the party. Encouraged by these unconstitutional Afoko says he did not go to court for his actions, the regional and constituency exec- own personal reasons, but in the interest of utive committees have suspended over 50 the party, to try and protect all party mem- party executives at all levels, for daring to bers and elected officers, up to and including question the wisdom of taking such actions the presidential candidate. that went against the party’s democratic “Can you imagine what would happen,” principles and the rule of law established in Afoko says, “if the party delegates elect a the party constitution. presidential candidate and we enter into an election year like this, and some 70 people Who has power to suspend? who don’t like the candidate go sit in a room Paul Afoko is very clear about somewhere in Accra and say ‘we have Regarding the removal of NPP elected outlining all the ways in which the removed the presidential candidate’? This officers, Article 10, Clauses 1 to 6 prescribe “intolerant militant wing” of his would be tantamount to a coup d’etat.” Afoko the rules and procedure as follows: Forty party has misused their power adds, in genuine bewilderment: “The way percent of the delegates that elect con- and authority, eroding the trust things are now going on in the NPP with all stituency, regional and national officers (as of the constituents and public. the madness, this is a real possibility. That the case may be) should give a written He is also very clear about why is why I am in court, to make sure that notice to the constituency, regional or he is fighting back, to save the it doesn’t happen, and that we stick to our national executive (as the case may be), integrity of the NPP so that it can constitution.” outlining the grounds on which they want win the elections in November. Afoko says that when he swore his oath at the elected officer to be removed. The the National Delegates Congress in April written notice should clearly state the 2014, he swore to defend and uphold the grounds for the removal. Within one week of party’s constitution, which is what he still the receipt of the written notice, the execu- intends to do, but he is fighting now for the tive committee that receives the notice must destiny of the party itself, which he believes circulate the notice to all the affected is threatened by this outrageous disregard delegates, and very importantly, a copy

15 should be given to “the affected officer who shall be given the opportunity to be heard What the NPP constitution by a body constituted by the executive com- actually says about the mittee.” Within one month of the circulation of the removal of elected officers notice of removal, the receiving executive committee should convene an extraordinary delegates conference to deliberate and decide Constitution of the NPP on the fate of the officer in question. In Afoko’s suspension as well as that of Article 10 the general secretary and the second vice- Removal of officers chairman, 40% of the delegates of about 5000 that elected him at a National Dele- 1. a. Whenever forty percent (40%) of the gates Conference in April 2014 did not give delegates that elect Constituency, Regional and have not served any notice whatsoever and National officers as the case may be, that they want him to be removed as give written notice to the Constituency, national chairman. So it was a non-starter Regional or National Executive as the case for the party. may be, of the demand for the removal of The NPP constitution also clearly outlines any elected officer, the Executive Commit- in Article 10 which arm of the NPP can sus- tee which receives such notice shall within pend which officer. The National Delegates one (1) week of receipt of the notice circu- Conference is the highest decision-making late such notice to all delegates affected. body of the party by hierarchy, followed by b. The petition for the removal of an the National Council and then the National officer shall be on stated grounds, a copy of Executive Committee (NEC) in that order. which shall be given to the affected officer Article 10 (3) states unambiguously that: “In who shall be given the opportunity to be the case of the demand for the removal of heard by a body constituted by the Execu- any member of the constituency executive tive Committee. committee, the written notice shall be given to the Regional Executive Committee. With 2. Within one (1) month of the circulation respect to the removal of regional officers, of such notice referred to in clause (1), the the written notice shall be submitted to the said Executive Committee shall summon National Executive Committee [NEC], while an Extraordinary Delegates Conference to in the case of the removal of national execu- deliberate and decide on the matter. tive officers [like Afoko, Kwabena Agyepong, and Sammy Crabbe], the written notice shall 3. In the case of the demand for the be to the National Council.” removal of any member of the Constituency Crucially, in Afoko’s case, it was not the Executive Committee, the written notice National Council that suspended him, but shall be given to the Regional Executive the NEC, as per a statement issued on Committee. With respect to the removal of October 23, 2015 by the party’s communica- Regional officers, the written notice shall tions director, Nana Akomea, who said: be submitted to the National Executive “On the 21st October, 2015, the National sions of elected officers at all. All it says Committee while in the case of the removal Disciplinary Committee of the New Patriotic clearly in Article 10 (4) is that: “Upon receipt of National Executive Officers, the written Party submitted a report to the Executive of the written notice, the Constituency, notice shall be to the National Council. Committee of the NPP; recommending the Regional, National Executive Committee or indefinite suspension of Mr. Paul Afoko as National Council as the case may be, may 4. Upon receipt of the written notice, the National Chairman. At its meeting today, suspend the officer from acting in his or her Constituency, Regional, National Executive Friday 23 October, 2015, the National Exec- office pending the holding of the Emergency Committee or National Council as the case utive Committee unanimously endorsed the Delegates Conference” within one month of may be, may suspend the officer from act- recommendation of the National Disciplinary the circulation of the notice to the delegates ing in his or her office pending the holding Committee. By the decision of the NEC, affected. In other words an elected NPP of the Emergency Delegates Conference. Mr. Paul Afoko is suspended indefinitely executive officer can be suspended for one from the position of National Chairman of month at most and not indefinitely. 5. The notice summoning the Conference [the] NPP.” And an Emergency Delegates Conference shall specify the agenda and the approval Political commentators have been aghast can only approve the removal of the officer for the removal of the Officer shall be by at how the NPP, a party full of renowned by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast at two-thirds majority of the votes cast at the lawyers and intellectuals, could perpetrate the Conference. If a two-thirds majority is Conference. Refusal by the Conference to such an illegality against its own constitu- not attained, the Conference would have dis- approve the removal of the Officer shall, tion. By arrogating to itself powers to approved the removal of the elected officer, automatically terminate his or her suspen- suspend Afoko, a national officer, against the and his or her suspension will automatically sion, if any, from office. expressed demand of the party constitution, cease forthwith. That is what the constitu- the NEC must have known that it would tion says – nothing more, nothing less! 6. Clauses 1-5 herein shall not apply to have no legs to stand on in a law court appointed officers who may be removed by if Afoko took the matter there, which is Illegal actions the decision of the appointing authority. currently the case. And not only that: the party constitution In sum, the NPP constitution does not does not even prescribe indefinite suspen- allow for what the NEC and the National

16 Paul Afoko and Sammy Crabbe, the chairman and his second deputy, share notes in front of a court house in Accra. Both men have been ‘illegally’ suspended indefinitely, compelling them to take the party to court. They want the NPP ‘intolerant militant wing’ to obey the constitution of the party.

Fredua Agyemang’s request that he asked him in a Disciplinary Committee meeting: “Do you know how people will interpret your action? They will say the cousin of the presidential candidate wants the removal of the national chairman. Do you know what that means?” Nevertheless, the Disciplinary Committee still went on its merry way and wrote to Afoko, asking him to appear before it – on the basis of Fredua Agyemang’s petition. But, according to sources, Afoko didn’t go, pleading that his father had just died and he couldn’t come. As such the matter just fizzled out. But if the national chairman thought he had had a relief, he was sadly mistaken. For, suddenly, the party’s Council of Elders got on the act, writing a new petition to the Disciplinary Committee asking it to take action against him. Analysts, however, insist that the move by the Council of Elders was wrong in the eyes of the party constitution, because some of elders were part of the Disciplinary Commit- tee. “So they wrote a petition to themselves,” says one analyst, “and wanted Afoko to go Disciplinary Committee claim to have done delegates to support a push against Afoko, and sit at the other side of the table for them to Afoko and the other “indefinitely sus- the national chairman was able to get 40% to dispense justice to him, something the pended” elected officers. How, and by what of delegates in Ashanti, Volta, Western, Cen- party constitution does not allow.” means, the NEC and the Disciplinary Com- tral, and Brong Ahafo regions to support the General Secretary Agyepong wrote to tell mittee think they can defend their actions in impeachment of erring chairpersons in those the Council of Elders that “Article 4(3)(d) [of court beggars belief – as none of the laid- regions. the party constitution] stipulates that such down procedure to remove elected officers In the end, the insiders say, Afoko stopped a petition should be initiated by a member was followed, including even the simple the impeachments because he felt that an of the party not an organ/body such as the constitutional provision that, “the petition accommodation could be reached at the National Council of Elders as is the case with for the removal of an officer shall be on national level to resolve all the burning the petition of the National Council of stated grounds.” issues, and also he feared that such mass Elders. If any member of the council wants In Afoko’s case, no such “stated grounds” impeachments could cause more commotion to bring a complaint in writing against the were “stated” in the report submitted to the inside the party and damage its electoral national chairman, that individual should NEC by the Disciplinary Committee which chances. kindly do so in his personal capacity as led to his indefinite suspension. Which a member of the party as required by the means there were no serious reasons stated Inside the Disciplinary Committee provision. for his removal, and because of that the NEC “Our party’s constitution did not envisage struggled hard but could not get the required According to NPP insiders, the first person that a body such as the Council of Elders 40% of delegates to support the initiation of to have actually written to the Disciplinary would be petitioners, as the Council has a impeachment action against Afoko. Perhaps Committee asking for Afoko’s removal sizable representation on the National that explains why the NEC and Disciplinary was Nana Fredua Agyemang, a cousin of Disciplinary Committee. This is the case to Committee had to take a blatantly illegal Presidential Candidate Nana Akufo-Addo. uphold the principles of natural justice; no route to remove him. Afoko’s father had just died four days before man can be a judge in his own case.” In contrast, according to NPP insiders, at Fredua Agyemang wrote to the Disciplinary So the elders quickly found two northern- the time the NEC and the Disciplinary Com- Committee. Insiders say one member of the ers to do their bidding against Afoko because mittee were trying in vain to get 40% of Disciplinary Committee was so shocked by the national chairman is a northerner.

17 As one Accra-based political commentator put it, “it was no longer Nana Fredua Agyemang, it was two northerners wanting Afoko’s removal. And look at the pattern: when it came to Kwabena Agyepong’s removal petition, they found two Akans to do their bidding against Agyepong because he is Akan. When it came to Sammy Crabbe’s removal, they found two Gas to do their bidding against Crabbe because he is a Ga. Genius, isn’t it?” The commentator went on: “This is why people, particularly NPP members, must not look at Afoko’s court case as if it is about Afoko. Not at all! It is about saving the party from an imminent danger that threatens its democratic foundations. The party has survived all these years because of its consti- tution. NPP members must therefore hold that constitution dear and protect it. Where it is flawed, they should amend it. But they should not throw away the constitution just to satisfy the whims and caprices of a few individuals who happen to occupy positions in the party today. That would be a betrayal of their founding fathers, and the party members should not allow that to happen.”

Rough justice?

But debasing the constitution or not respecting its tenets is what has actually happened. A suspended party member, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe, the former ambas- sador to Serbia, says the Greater Accra Regional executives were in such a haste to suspend him that they “failed to respect the time-honored principle of giving an accused the opportunity to face his accusers and defend himself.” He describes them as sycophants who “want to prove their allegiance to our flag bearer by running others down. They are counting their chickens before they are hatched. Instead of focusing on the 2016 elections, they are pursuing an agenda of rumor mongering.” Dr. Tamakloe then fired back at the party, questioning what it has done to members which, among other things: “Violently disrupted party parliamentary primaries leading to criminal prosecution; advocated that only Akans are worthy of ruling Ghana; falsely attacked ex-President John Kufuor and other leading members of the party without basis; violently disrupted public functions organized by other party members; and violently prevented elected party offi- cials from entering the NPP headquarters.” This atmosphere of arbitrary and unlaw- throw the party into a spin, as he will return desire is for the party to win power again. A ful dread hangs over only those members to office as a bona fide national chairman, smart man and a shrewd politician, he is not who speak their mind, as they wonder – who right in the middle of the 2016 election cam- likely to do anything that will jeopardize the might be next and more importantly, when paign, though unloved by the presidential chances of the party to win power if the court will all this end? candidate and his followers. How the party sides with him and he returns to the party will square this circle and arrive at a work- headquarters to take charge of affairs. Court case able reconciliation between such clearly op- The trouble might well be on the other posed positions is anybody’s guess. side, where Akufo-Addo and his followers If Afoko wins in court, that judgment will But Afoko loves the NPP and his heartfelt may find it a lot more difficult to embrace

18 and work with the man they had wanted to ask me from the bottom of my heart whether push out through unfair and unconstitu- I respect Nana Akufo-Addo as a leader, then tional means. I will say no, I don’t, I respect him as an Afoko is seeking multiple reliefs in court. elder of the party.” He is hoping that the court, in the first instance, pronounces that what he calls “the NPP principles in jeopardy intolerant militant wing” of the party that seeks to dominate affairs by any means, has Every one of those unconstitutional acts violated the party’s constitution by suspend- seems a threat to the party’s vision of how ing him. Secondly, the court should order freedom should develop in a political sphere, that the “intolerant militant wing” should as it threatens freedom of conscience, asso- not put any impediments in his way regard- ciation and expression, resulting in an actual ing the performance of his duties as national danger to the party’s core principles. chairman. “Once the court grants those So Afoko says he will use all legal means reliefs, it will be a contempt of court if they to protect the party’s integrity and its demo- go against the reliefs,” Afoko says. cratic credentials, because he is worried that When asked how, after all the bloodletting if the constitution of the party is allowed to that has gone on in the party in recent be manipulated and maligned in this way, it months, he was going to work amicably will become a political party that has lost its again with Akufo-Addo’s faction, which has soul. always been so hostile to him, Afoko’s He also points out that it is of course answer was quite instructive: “The NPP absurd to suspend officers who have been constitution is very clear that I am the chair- tasked to work and win the upcoming man,” he said. “It is also very clear that elections, and he feels the party has begun a Akufo-Addo is the presidential candidate, slide down the slope of possible self-destruc- and it prescribes duties for both of us. The tion, dragging their own democratic creden- presidential candidate is to lead a campaign tials into the darkness with them. He says it to win the presidency. The national chair- began with intimidation and insults on man is to manage the party. So Akufo-Addo radio, then physical attacks, then a crushing will run the campaign, and I, as national of freedom of speech and dissent, and chairman, will manage the NPP in such a recently, even killings. way that the party can carry the presidential Afoko states that these intolerant candidate into power.” elements within the party have been in a Afoko genuinely thinks that Akufo-Addo’s position of influence for a while, and that camp will work with him because the party when they speak their political venom, other and all its members “like power, we want to people think they are speaking for the entire win national power again.” In the 59 years party – but they are not. That is why Afoko of Ghana’s independence, the political tradi- says he is in court, to stop those destructive tion that gave birth to the NPP has been in elements from destroying the party’s demo- power only twice, spanning a total of about cratic credentials. Because if they succeed, it ten years – from late 1969 to January 1972, is not just the NPP that will suffer, but the and from 2001 to 2008. democratic principles and values of the It is therefore unfathomable that the nation will be at risk. No matter what, the party is currently behaving the way it is NPP has clearly very difficult months ahead, carrying on – sacking national officers who and should Afoko lose his first round in have the justification and wherewithal to go court, he fully intends to pursue the appeals to court – during an election year. It is like process, all the way to the Supreme Court. deliberately cutting one’s nose to spite one’s face. Conclusion The greater amazement, though, lies with the presidential candidate’s acceptance of All the eyes of the nation of Ghana will be such disturbing, distractive and destructive on this trial, which almost seems a David behavior. Presidential Candidate Akufo- and Goliath scenario played out on the Addo is running for the third time in a row national political stage. But no matter what and stands to lose more if the chaos in the the outcome, more damage than good has party puts voters off and they vote against it been caused, certainly for the NPP and in and against him. Conversely, he would be this upcoming election that is so critical to the major beneficiary if the NPP recaptures its future success as a viable contender in power in the impending elections in Novem- the political arena. In good times, Paul Afoko greets ber. It is therefore in Akufo-Addo’s greater The timing of this very public internal the party faithful at the NPP interest to ensure that calm and good sense duel could not be worse for the NPP, but if headquarters. His desire, he says, is restored in the party to allow for focused one takes the long view, then truth should is to see the NPP back in power. minds to execute the 2016 campaign. never have to wait, and the ultimate legal But an “intolerant militant wing” “I do not think that he [Akufo-Addo] is a outcome – regardless which side it falls upon in the party is making it impossible respectful democratic leader and someone – will hopefully be a lesson to all concerned, for him to realize his dreams. who respects democracy,” says Dr. Arthur including all the voters of Ghana who must Kobina Kennedy, communications director decide which party will lead the direction of for the NPP 2012 election campaign. “If you their nation into the future. l

19 The NPP National Executive Committee under the leadership of Paul Afoko on August 19, 2015, set up a five-member committee chaired by former General Secretary Nana Ohene-Ntow, to investigate, among other things, charges and allegations of improper handling of party funds. In the course of its probe, the committee looked at the causes of mistrust Shocking revelations among NPP national execu- tives and the rising tension at the party’s headquarters in the capital, Accra. Several witnesses testified before the committee. Here are edited excerpts from some of the stories they told the committee as submitted by the chairman, Ohene-Ntow.

Paul Afoko a very well-known loyalist of the flag bearer, National Chairman sent him threatening messages to the effect National Chairman Paul Afoko described that after becoming chairman he should not the ongoing unrest in the party as “faction- attempt to fight what Okyere Darko called alism gone mad.” Afoko told the Committee “the powers.” that he was aware of efforts by people The national chairman further told the perceived to be the flag bearer’s backroom committee that he believes that a media advisers to recruit other national officers to interview granted by the Northern Regional undermine him. He mentioned the second chairman, Bugri Naabu, in which the vice-chairman, Sammy Crabbe, as one of the regional chairman said that by the time of national officers who was contacted to do the 2016 general elections, the first vice- that job. Crabbe has amply corroborated this chairman, Freddie Blay, would replace him testimony. Afoko told the committee that on as chairman whilst the national organizer, one occasion, Gabby Asare Okyere Darko, John Boadu, would replace the general sec- former director of the Danquah Institute and retary, confirmed his suspicions that there was indeed a conspiracy to undermine him and eventually push him out of office as chairman of the party. Afoko told the committee that the flag bearer’s apparent acceptance of the entrenchment of factionalism in the party is invited him to a meeting to, as he put it, not helping efforts at uniting the party. “recruit” him to undermine the national chairman [Paul Afoko] and the general sec- retary [Kwabena Agyepong]. This agenda was to render them ineffective in any effort Sammy Crabbe they would make to sabotage the flag Second Vice-Chairman bearer’s campaign to win the presidency in In his testimony to the committee, Sammy the 2016 presidential elections. Crabbe literally shocked committee mem- Crabbe revealed to the committee further bers when he revealed that soon after the that the gentleman in question explained April 2014 National Executive elections in that as pro-Kufuor and anti-Akufo-Addo Tamale, a gentleman whom Crabbe would elements, the presence of the national chair- not name but simply described as a fierce man and the general secretary at the helm loyalist of the flag bearer [Nana Akufo-Addo] of the party’s affairs could jeopardize Akufo-

20 Addo’s chances of winning the presidential Kwabena Agyepong revealed to the com- elections if they are not kept in check. mittee that soon after the National Execu- Crabbe told the committee that he declined tive elections in Tamale on April 12, 2014, he to cooperate with this person and his group came across a document authored by people because in his words: “That will be a sure he knew to be fiercely loyal to the flag recipe for rather losing the elections.” bearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, detailing how Subsequent to this initial overture, they should work to undermine the recently another group comprising mainly regional elected officers who were perceived not to be chairmen of the party, notable among whom loyal to the flag bearer, in particular himself were Bugri Naabu and Alhaji Short, regional and the national chairman. From the devel- chairmen of the Northern and Upper West opments that have followed his sighting of respectively, invited him to a meeting in the said document, the general secretary Bugri Naabu’s office and pleaded passion- said he believed that the contents of that ately with him (Crabbe) that since they all document were being implemented against supported his bid to become the second vice- his good self, the national chairman and the chairman of the party, he should also sup- second vice-chairman. According to Agye- port their agenda to undermine the pong, all the attacks against the three men chairman and the general secretary. Crabbe are either by known loyalists of the flag said he told the group that if that agenda bearer, or supported by them. was going to help the party win the elections he would have lent his support to it. Since he was certain that this would rather hurt tion of two. One of the two, which was not party unity and therefore jeopardize the Abankwa Yeboah leaked, was the one challenging the general party’s chances of winning, he refused to National Treasurer secretary that some actions of his were con- cooperate with the plan. trary to decisions of the Steering Committee. Crabbe told the committee that subse- The general secretary in his testimony on quent to these developments, he started this matter, however, vehemently denied receiving text messages from Gabby Asare these charges. Okyere Darko to the effect that he had received information that Crabbe was ‘not playing ball’, and that if Crabbe continued that way he was going to lose friends. Crabbe Fred Oware said he was therefore not surprised that soon Former First Vice-Chairman after these developments, he was basically Former First Vice-Chairman Fred Oware added to the attacks and false accusations registered his deep disappointment and that were being leveled against the national displeasure, especially regarding the rather chairman and the general secretary. To unhealthy relationship between First Vice- Crabbe, these are the real undercurrents of Chairman Freddie Blay and National Chair- the present goings on in the party, and that man Paul Afoko. He said the situation where any effort to effectively deal with tensions, mistrust, divisions and factionalism in the party ought to pay sincere attention to these undercurrents.

Kwabena Agyepong General Secretary For his part, the national treasurer, Abankwa Yeboah, told the committee that he once overheard National Chairman Paul Afoko tell a member of the Finance Commit- tee that they (meaning the national chair- man and the general secretary) will make him redundant. Yeboah said he confronted the national chairman and it resulted in a huge argument. Since then he has taken steps to protect his “territory.”

John Boadu National Organizer some national officers were exploiting the John Boadu told the committee that the current tensions in the party to undermine reason for the suspicion and mistrust among others was unacceptable, and the situation national officers was that virtually every could not and should not be used by any memo he had given to the general secretary officer of the party as an excuse to do uncon- had been leaked to the press with the excep- stitutional and wrong things.

21 On August 19, 2015, the National Executive Committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) set up a five-member Ad hoc Committee chaired by the former General Secretary of the party, Nana Ohene-Ntow, to investigate among other things, charges and allegations of improper handling of funds that accrued to the party from the June 2015 parliamentary primaries. The Committee unearthed shocking misconduct in the management of the party’s finances on the part of certain national officers who, incidentally, appear to have the blessing of the powers that be in the party – by virtue of the fact that the officers in question are still at post and no sanctions have been taken against them, contrary to the findings of the Committee. In the following edited extracts from the Ad hoc Committee’s report submitted to the party on November 20, 2015, the Committee lays bare the rot inside the financial affairs of the party. It is a truly scandalous affair. A tale of financial mismanagement

he Ad hoc Committee heard 12. Baah Achamfuor – Party Member into a judicial matter. testimony from 12 witnesses National Chairman testifies He said his counsel further advised him and established that there were that matters involving political parties, their indeed some unconstitutional- The National Chairman, Paul Afoko, operations – financial and otherwise – were ity, misconduct, and indisci- made three appearances at the Committee’s matters governed by national laws and pline on the part of certain sitting; the first was when he inaugurated affected by public interest for which reasons nationalT officers in the handling of the the Committee during which he provided he had no option but to cooperate with the party’s funds, and in the general discharge some valuable information, which are police. of their duties. detailed in this report. He told the Committee that he objected to The membership of the Committee was as His second appearance was occasioned by going to the police station to make a state- follows: the police intervention in the whole saga of ment, his reason being that the issue was an 1. Nana Ohene-Ntow – Chairman the Ecobank account affair that had been re- internal matter. 2. Hon. Joe Osei-Owusu – Secretary ported to the police by one Baah Achamfuor, But upon persistence from the police, he 3. Hon. Anthony Akoto Osei – Member a party member. The Committee basically agreed that the police visit his residence in 4. Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu – Member summoned the Chairman to clarify issues the company of his legal counsel. It was at 5. Hon. George Gyan Baffuor – Member surrounding a statement that he had made this juncture that he provided a brief state- The witnesses who appeared before the to the police on the issue, and whether ment to the police indicating that indeed committee were: his “cooperation” with the police did not there was such an issue regarding the 1. Paul Afoko – National Chairman undermine or prejudice the work of the party’s financial management, and that the 2. Abankwa Yeboah – National Treasurer Committee. party had already instituted a committee to 3. Freddie Blay – First Vice-Chairman The chairman, Afoko, did indeed respond look into the matter. 4. Fred Oware – Former First Vice-Chairman to this summons of the Committee and In view of early suspicions that the 5. Hon. Daniel Botwe – Minority Chief Whip explained that he had initially declined to national chairman may be the brain behind 6. Dr. K. K. Sarpong – Representative of the speak to the police on the issue since it was Baah Achamfuor, the gentleman who had Finance Committee an internal party matter, but was however reported the matter to the police, the Com- 7. Kwabena Agyepong – General Secretary advised by his legal counsel that he was duty mittee inquired from the chairman whether 8. John Boadu – National Organizer bound by the laws of Ghana to oblige the that may have been the case. 9. Sammy Crabbe – Second Vice-Chairman police, except that he must keep his state- The chairman strongly denied any knowl- 10. Esther Ofori – Former Treasurer ment concise and factual to avoid any future edge, contact or affinity with the gentleman 11. Gifty Amah Ayeh – Former Treasurer charges of perjury should the case escalate in question, and urged the Committee to do

22 its own investigation of the suspicion. The Committee later found out from Baah Achamfuor that indeed he did not know the chairman personally, and neither had he been in contact with the chairman at any time, and that his decision to report the matter to the police was informed by certain considerations which this report details in latter paragraphs during Baah Achamfuor’s testimony to the Committee. Asked by the Committee whether such “cooperation” with the police on his part did not make moot the Committee’s work, the national chairman responded in the nega- tive, insisting that the Committee’s work was internal fact-finding and not judicial by any stretch of the imagination. At this juncture, members agreed to proceed with the Committee’s work.

Proceeds from parliamentary primaries

The Committee found as fact that the total revenue generated from the parliamentary primaries was GH¢8,855,000. Primary evidence on where the monies realized from the parliamentary primaries were lodged was given by the national chair- man, the general secretary and the national treasurer. All others who spoke on this mat- ter were reporting what had been told them by one or the other of these three witnesses. In reporting on lodgments, it is important to note that the issue of where the monies realized from the parliamentary primaries were lodged is probably the most critical issue that triggered the whole investigation by this Committee. It has to be noted further that in all prob- ability, had the treasurer not taken the unilateral decision to lodge the bulk of the proceeds from the parliamentary primaries into a dormant Ecobank Trust Towers Branch account, and had he deposited all receipts in the known, recognized, author- ized and operational bank accounts of the party at Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), there may not have been the need for this investigation in the first place. The national chairman told the Commit- tee that upon assumption of office, his administration inherited a plethora of bank accounts spread over several banks, includ- ing one at the Prudential Bank that was operated by Ken Ofori-Atta and Kelly Gadzekpo who happen not to be officers nor workers of the party. For the sake of ease of financial operations of the party, a decision was taken between the chairman, the general secretary and the national treasurer to activate and operate only two of the party’s accounts held at the GCB, Accra-North Branch, Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

NPP members protest the mismanagement of party funds.

23 The treasurer had insisted on activating in her testimony to the Committee. more of the party’s bank accounts with the various banks, but the chairman declined to Treasurer on lodgments approve such a move, insisting that it was better to keep the party’s bank operations The national treasurer, Abankwa Yeboah, simple. testified to the Committee that after collect- Against the background of the foregoing, ing the bank drafts, some directly from the the chairman told the Committee that his regions and others from the general secre- expectation was that all lodgments of monies tary, he held on to them for some time with- accruing from the parliamentary primaries out lodging them in the party’s bank would naturally be lodged in the GCB accounts. accounts which had been activated and were According to him, his reluctance to deposit being operated by his administration. the monies into the GCB accounts operated It therefore came to him as a surprise jointly by the treasurer, the general secre- when it emerged at a meeting of the Finance tary and the national chairman was because Committee that the national treasurer had the general secretary and national chairman lodged the bulk of the proceeds from the had written to instruct the bank not to parliamentary primaries in a dormant recognize him, the treasurer, as a signatory account of the party at the Trust Towers to the party’s GCB accounts. Branch of Ecobank which the treasurer had According to the treasurer, lodging the reactivated on the blind side of the national funds in the GCB accounts would have chairman, general secretary and indeed the meant that he would have been excluded Steering Committee. from the management of these funds since, The treasurer confirmed this fact to according to him, only the signatures of the the Committee later in his testimony, and national chairman and general secretary further told the Committee that the account were used to operate the GCB accounts. was operated by himself and the first vice- It is important to note that the GCB chairman, Freddie Blay. accounts were the only accounts the current This development led to a situation where administration was operating officially, in part of the proceeds from the parliamentary spite of the fact that the party had a plethora primaries had been lodged into this re- of accounts with a number of banks. activated Ecobank account whilst the rest It is also important to note that the were lodged into the GCB accounts which charges made by the national treasurer that were being officially operated by the current the general secretary and national chairman administration. had written to the GCB to delete his name After reconciling the position of the chair- as signatory to the party’s bank accounts, man, general secretary and the treasurer, and also that the bank should not furnish the Committee found that the lodgment into him with the party’s bank statements, were the two bank accounts were as follows: found by the Committee to be false. Indeed lump sum of GH¢10,000 meant for each Ghana Commercial Bank (Accra-North to date the treasurer is still signatory to all constituency for them to commence prepara- Branch) – GH¢3,807,000. Ecobank (Trust the bank accounts of the party operated by tions for the primaries. The said lump sum Towers Branch) – GH¢5,054,000. the current administration, and has been transfer was to serve as part payment of the The Treasurer informed the Committee jointly signing checks, particularly with the constituencies’ share of 40% of the revenue later that, regarding the Ecobank lodgments, general secretary. accrued from the parliamentary primaries as a check of GH¢6,008 was dishonored, The Committee found that the amount of decided by an earlier National Council leaving a balance of GH¢5,047,992. The GH¢3,807,000 lodged into the GCB accounts meeting. Committee noted that the said payment by was only done after a meeting of the Finance check by any contestant in the primaries was Committee was informed of the treasurer’s Approvals irregular since all payments were to be made refusal to lodge the monies in the known by banker’s draft. GCB accounts, and for which reason the On approvals for disbursement from the general secretary and the national chairman Ecobank account, the treasurer testified that Genesis of Ecobank account were having difficulty accessing the money such approvals were ordered by the first vice for release to constituencies for the conduct chairman, Freddie Blay. This fact was The Ecobank account, the operation of the parliamentary primaries. confirmed by Blay himself in his own testi- of which has become the main center of the The Committee was later informed by the mony to the Committee. current controversy, was actually opened by representative for the Finance Committee, It has to be noted parenthetically that the a former national chairman of the party, Dr. K. K. Sarpong, that after a verbal repri- first vice-chairman’s actions in this regard Peter McManu under rather questionable mand of the national treasurer, the Finance were ultra vires, as the national chairman circumstances. It turns out that McManu Committee issued orders to the treasurer to whom the vice-chairman is constitutionally opened this account during his tenure as na- lodge monies into the party’s known and to assist in the performance of his functions, tional chairman on the blind side of both the operated accounts in order to make the funds and on whose behalf the vice-chairman is to then national treasurer and general secre- accessible to the general secretary to finance act only in situations where the chairman tary. the parliamentary primaries and other was not available in the jurisdiction or is un- The account was apparently run by Mc- urgent party business. able to perform his constitutional functions Manu and the then chairman of the Finance Indeed even after these orders from the for any reason(s) whatsoever, was both avail- Committee, Collins Adu Gyamfi. These facts Finance Committee, the general secretary able in the jurisdiction and was ready, will- were borne out by the immediate past later informed the Ad hoc Committee that ing, and able to perform his constitutionally national treasurer, Madame Esther Ofori, the treasurer obstructed the transfer of a mandated functions, as the Committee later

24 such a major high-level strategic manage- ment decision, was grossly wrong. Indeed this behavior of the national treasurer is at variance with known best practice of organizational management, and even alien to the party’s rules, regulations, precedents and conventions. The first vice-chairman’s unilateral approval of the above transactions without any reference to the general secretary, the national chairman nor indeed the Steering Committee is equally grossly wrong.

Finance Committee testifies

A representative of the Finance Commit- tee, Dr. Sarpong, testified to the Committee on behalf of the Finance Committee as the substantive chairman of the Finance Com- mittee, Kwadwo Mpiani, was out of the jurisdiction. In his testimony, Dr. Sarpong was em- phatic and unequivocal on what he described as the “intransigent, disruptive and indisci- plined” behavior of the national treasurer, Abankwa Yeboah. Dr. Sarpong testified that it was critical to resolve the impasse between the treasurer and the general secretary promptly because as he put it: “The treasurer is damaging the party’s chances of raising money, especially his media and public pronouncements and actions.” On the unilateral decision by the national treasurer to reactivate the dormant Ecobank account, Dr. Sarpong was empathic that the action of the national treasurer amounted to indiscipline and impropriety. First Vice-Chairman Freddie Blay ordered large disbursement of funds from the Ecobank account, violating standard operating procedure. Committee’s findings

In view of the Committee’s findings, the learned from the national chairman. of cash withdrawals from the reactivated report recommends the following: Incidentally, the first vice-chairman him- Ecobank account, all for the Talensi by-elec- 1. That clear and detailed Financial Man- self confirmed to the Committee the fact that tion. agement Rules and Regulations are enacted while all the above irregular developments The treasurer again testified that he for the party to ensure proper management were taking place, the national chairman, as took a decision to disburse a further of the party’s financial affairs. These guide- he (the first vice-chairman himself) put it: GH¢3,999,999.38 from the same account for lines should also set out more clearly the “was not known to be unavailable in the the purchase of Treasury Bills. He further lines and structures of hierarchy, organiza- jurisdiction.” testified that he had also established a Call tion, supervision, and reporting to ensure Asked whether he made any effort to Account and put an amount of GH¢430,000 smooth and effective running of the party. reach the national chairman before his of the funds into that account on behalf of 2. That an introspection retreat of all usurpation of the chairman’s functions, the the party. national and other key officials of the party first vice-chairman’s response was that the These decisions, he said, were approved by is organized with the assistance of profes- national chairman never picks up his calls, the first vice-chairman, Blay. But beyond the sional counselors and psychologists with a so he did not see the need to make the effort bank statement that gives an indication of view of dealing with the suspicions, fears, to reach him, since such effort, to him, was these two major transactions, the treasurer and mistrust of all concerned in order to not going to yield any worthwhile results. has however failed so far to provide the enhance greater cooperation and harmony in certificate and other original documentation the leadership and management of the Disbursements covering the said Treasury Bill and Call party. Account as at the time of filing this report. 3. That to forestall the future repeat of the After the lodgment of the various sums of It is the view of the Committee that the findings of the Committee and also to serve money in the GCB and reactivated Ecobank decision of the national treasurer to re- as a deterrent to other officers of the party, accounts, disbursements from these accounts activate the dormant Ecobank account and the officers found to have misconducted were as follows: pay into it proceeds from the parliamentary themselves are referred to the National The national treasurer testified that with primaries without the national chairman, Disciplinary Committee for the appropriate the approval of the first vice-chairman, he general secretary, and the Steering Commit- disciplinary action and sanctions to be insti- disbursed a total of GH¢681,746.97 by way tee knowing and discussing or approving tuted against them. l

25 General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong (L), Presidential Candidate Nana Akufo Addo (M) and National Chairman Paul Afoko (R) are all powerful men from the same political party, who once sat close to each other in the NPP, but those days are long-gone. What the future holds for them and their party is now anyone’s guess.

espite having currently dug itself into a deep hole, the future of the beleaguered New Patriotic Party (NPP) Paul Afoko: ‘We will “looks good,” says Paul Afoko, the suspended national chair- Dman of Ghana’s main opposition party. He would say that, wouldn’t he? No one points to his father’s village with his left hand, so survive this crisis’ says an Akan proverb – even if the village is just half a hut, so long as it belongs to the fa- ther, one is always obliged to show it respect. It appears that this is the situation Afoko finds himself in. As national chairman of the “The darkest hour is before dawn. This political NPP, though suspended, he cannot let the team down by saying otherwise. He must tradition has gone through a lot, worse than the keep his own spirits up, and also maintain the spirits of his colleagues and that of the current crisis. We sat for a long time in opposition, party itself, especially as they are going into and at one time our political tradition was banned. an election that is so crucial that it has become a do or die affair for the entire party. But we have come through it because we have stuck If the NPP does not win power again in to the abiding principles. We shall go into the future, 2016, the future will be dire for them, no matter how much Afoko tries to massage it, withstanding the test of time again,” says Paul Afoko, and most especially for its presidential can- didate, Nana Akufo-Addo, who is having his talking about the current state of the NPP. third try at the presidency in November. At

26 the age of 72, it will be goodnight for him if negative things that could lose the party the win. Is this fair politics? he doesn’t win it this time around. 2016 elections. First, he said: “If you go to “Three, look at what is happening in It is therefore critical that NPP spirits are the Akatsi North constituency in the Volta Manhyia North constituency, in our own kept high, its morale boosted, and that Region, there is a gentleman called Godfred heartland, the Ashanti Region. You see, the this politically dangerous crisis be quickly Kudalor, a constituency organizer who current NPP voter’s register at that resolved. was recently suspended indefinitely for sim- constituency was the one that was used to One can, therefore, understand Afoko’s ply saying he believed that the National elect all party officers and the presidential upbeat stand. “The darkest hour is before Disciplinary Committee made a wrong candidate, but the intolerant militant wing dawn,” he reminds the party faithful. “I decision by suspending me. wants that register changed, because they believe in the NPP. This political tradition “And Akatsi North happens to be a think it may favor the sitting member of has gone through a lot, worse than the constituency where even if the NDC puts a Parliament – and they don’t like him. Asan- current crisis. We sat for a long time in goat out there and drapes the colors of the teman is the soul of this party and yet look opposition, and at one time our political party on that goat, it will win. But look at at what the intolerant militant wing is doing tradition was banned. But we have come the value of the man who has been removed. there, creating confusion and inciting through it because we have stuck to the Kudalor is the assemblyman in the area. violence to the extent that now party people abiding principles. We didn’t stick to individ- Can you imagine Akatsi North in the Volta in that constituency are slashing each other uals, we stuck to principles! We shall go into Region voting for an NPP man to be assem- with machetes. All because the intolerant the future withstanding the test of time militant wing does not like the face of the again. As long as we properly adhere to our sitting MP and they want to use all means constitution, we will survive this crisis and to get him out.” we will come through it stronger.” “You can’t win power Indeed, if within the small confines of the by being an intolerant NPP, people are being hounded out because Let’s unite their faces do not seem to belong, what will militant, and repelling happen to the whole country if the NPP and Still rallying the troops, like any great people. I am sounding a Akufo-Addo win power in November 2016? national chairman would do, Afoko sends an That is a question that carries much weight, urgent appeal to “my party people” to unite note of caution to my party not only for the NPP but also for the totality and “not look at this matter as if it is Paul that we should stop this of Ghana’s 27 million people. Afoko against other people or one faction Afoko, a consummate politician, takes his against the other.” political craziness. We time to answer that final question. Finally He said it well, but even Afoko knows that are sliding down fast and he responds, assuring all and summing up: the reality on the ground will not change “We are a country of laws.” simply because the national chairman said we should stop it and crawl But that is hardly enough to assure some fine words. It won’t change because the our way back up and anybody. The NPP too, is a party of laws, NPP is in a real terrible state at the moment, fight for power.” – Afoko encoded in its constitution, one might argue, a fact so colorfully captured by a leading but the “intolerant militant wing” that is member of the party, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho- trying to hijack the party seems to have no Tamakloe, who has also been suspended. “As regard for their own party’s constitution. a political party, if you don’t have a message “Akufo-Addo has made things rather diffi- and you have a fragmented front, then you blyman? And he even goes to the District cult for himself and the party to win an become desperate, so I think that party is Assembly and they make him the chairman election. I’m sure he regrets it,” says Andrew desperate. … I have known Akufo-Addo for of the Planning Committee. That shows you Awuni, a former presidential spokesperson. 50 years and he has no message,” says Dr. he is a good party asset in the area. “It’s not that the people don’t want change, Nyaho-Tamakloe. “Nowhere in political “We couldn’t even get somebody to come but they are not sure of an NPP government history, at least what I have read, have I forward to stand as an NPP parliamentary in this current state.” seen such a divided front of a political party candidate in the Akatsi North constituency. Tremendous pressures are mounting that has ever won an election. … Nowhere.” Kudalor, working with his local contacts, around the crisis in the NPP, and this will Afoko himself, on November 18, 2015, was able to get somebody to represent the surely prove an enormous setback to the reminded all and sundry that the party was party in Akatsi North. And the intolerant party in the upcoming national elections. on a slippery slope to self-destruction. Is that militant wing then goes and suspends him Afoko, who stands at the very center of this how he still sees it? Africawatch asked him before a general election. storm, and insists he is doing it not for any directly: “It is a foreboding,” Afoko pauses, “Yes, we cannot win that parliamentary personal reasons, yet having been so then continues: “I was sounding a note of seat, but Kudalor could have helped the wronged, but is standing tall for the good of caution. I am not giving up and throwing my party get some more votes in the presidential the party, must know the risks involved. hands in the air and saying it’s over. You election, because with the presidential race, The risks should also be clear to those who can’t win power by being an intolerant mili- all of Ghana is one constituency. So all votes continue to stubbornly oppose him and seem tant, and repelling people. I am sounding a count. And such a person is suspended indef- not to notice the downward direction every- note of caution to my party that we should initely, for just expressing his opinion?” thing continues to take regarding the stop this political craziness. We are sliding Afoko takes a breather and moves to his perception of the NPP by the public at large, down fast and we should stop it and crawl second example: “Two, look at what is hap- and especially their chance to represent the our way back up and fight for power. That is pening with the Klottey Korle constituency country with a new president and an what I am telling my party.” in Accra. The intolerant militant wing organized and democratic leadership after orchestrated to cancel the election that was the next elections. There is strife in this Three bad examples held there because they didn’t like the face house – do the people of Ghana really want of the person who won. A new election was that strife to carry into the Flagstaff House Afoko then gave three examples of the organized and they schemed for their man to as well? l

27 Paul Afoko ‘A few people cannot be allowed to hijack the NPP’

In a twist of confusion, Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) claims it has suspended its national chairman, Paul Afoko. But in a detailed interview, Afoko insists he is still the national chairman and that his suspension was illegal and should be disregarded. He reveals everything about the current troubles in the party that is trying to recapture national power in the upcoming general elections set for November 7, 2016. He says an “intolerant militant wing” that has occupied a specific position of influence in the party is seeking to hijack the NPP for its own narrow interests. Afoko has vowed to fight them to the end, to protect the party’s democratic credentials. He says he is now in court “to save the party’s constitution, the very embodiment of its principles, that has been trampled upon by the intolerant wing,” a violation that he thinks poses a clear and present danger to the future of the NPP. Here are excerpts from the interview.

Paul Afoko, who is at the center of the NPP political storm, believes he is standing up for the right reasons.

28 29 n The state in which Afoko found the NPP was shocking! n NPP had only 89 Ghana cedis in its bank account in April 2014 n NPP national treasurer was totally out of order n Akufo-Addo was at the meeting that decided to illegally reactivate NPP’s controversial Ecobank account n Opare Hammond was sacked for engaging in dubious means at NPP headquarters n Akufo-Addo blocked action against errant MP, Kennedy Agyapong … Blay called him a gem! n Ken Ofori-Atta, cousin of Akufo-Addo, paid four Serbians to train NPP people in civil insurrection n Akufo-Addo does not like independent-minded people

n Akufo-Addo and his men tried to set aside Afoko believes that justice must the will of the party and impose their will be defended at all costs, as he goes up against those in his own party who would seek to illegally remove him as national n German party sent officials to help NPP chairman and go against the party constitution just for the resolve crisis, but it all came to nought sake of power and control. n Akufo-Addo’s camp spurned Asantehene’s intervention in NPP crisis n 22 internal meetings could not resolve NPP crisis

30 Q: In the circumstances, did you ever agree on anything at party meetings or caucuses? It looks like you were presid- ing over one massive cacophony? A: [Laughs]. Cacophony is a soft word, because, for instance, the party’s constitution gives me the authority to recommend some people for appointments as deputies to the elected general secretary, organizing secre- tary, women organizer and others. And when I did that, Akufo-Addo’s men blocked it. They wanted their man to come in and pick his favorites. I kept telling them that we have been elected to manage the party, the constitution is clear that we should fill those positions, and that a party position is not a reward for loyalty to anybody. But they won’t even listen. They planned to make sure that we would never successfully get people into place until the presidential candidate was elected. First Vice-Chairman Freddie Blay picked on one of our nominees, Kenwuud Nuworsu, a for- mer Volta Regional chairman, for the posi- tion of deputy general secretary. Blay alleged that Nuworsu had said that it would be over his dead body that Akufo-Addo would become our presidential candidate, and so they would never allow Nuworsu to become a deputy general secretary. I asked Blay to back his allegation against Nuworso with some evidence and he got nothing! It was based on hearsay. How could a man of his standing make such a serious allegation against a high-ranking party member based on rumor? Such was the level of mischief in the party. Sometimes the National Executive Coun- cil meetings were full of shouting, screaming, and then everything would break down. I would close a meeting abruptly and say let’s go. On one occasion, an Akufo-Addo man said: “Chairman, you have closed the meet- ing without a prayer.” And I told them, go and pray amongst yourself but make sure that you are honest in your prayer because God can see beyond your lies.

Q: When the party elected the presi- dential candidate, did the situation change? Q: How bad did you find things inside administration and plotting against me. A: Basically, Akufo-Addo and his men the NPP when you became national In all schemes of things, to me it was NPP tried to set aside the will of the party and chairman? first but to them it was Akufo-Addo first. It impose their will. Early last year, at a meet- A: When I took over as national chairman took sometime before we had the presiden- ing in Felix Owusu-Agyapong’s house in in April 2014, I realized that the party was tial primaries but I wanted to get things run- Accra, I told Akufo-Addo that what he was in a terrible shape. Things were really bad in ning immediately, and these people would doing, and also how his men had been telling the party. I immediately set out to reform the not allow me. They knew Akufo-Addo was lies about me, was taking us closer and closer party but the resistance from the allies of going to win the presidential primaries so to the edge of the precipice. And once we got Nana Akufo-Addo was unbelievable! I call they wanted to delay things for him to come to the edge of that precipice and I also begin them the intolerant militant wing. Not only and have a say in everything we did. But to explain my side of the story, we would go did they want to keep things as they were so do we have to put the administration of a over the edge into an abyss and we would go as to maintain their grip on party affairs, but whole party on hold just because of one man? in together. General Secretary Kwabena they also wanted to cover up the mess they But these people didn’t give a hoot. They Agyepong, Vice-Presidential Candidate have created in the party. I guess they were kept disrupting Steering Committee meet- Mahamudu Bawumia and four members of afraid I was going to expose them, so right ings and that’s when I coined the phrase the Council of Elders were present at that from the onset they started undermining my “contrived gridlock.” It was very frustrating. meeting.

31 Q: Are you now at the precipice? was in terms of NPP’s financial affairs. Top: National Chairman Paul Afoko A: Yes we are there. And by the mad There was no accountability and trans- and General Secretary Kwabena decision of the intolerant militant wing to parency in the party’s finances. Agyepong at a press conference throw our constitution to the dogs and called to explain the actions they attempt to remove myself, General Secretary Q: You are said to have been harsh on took in office. Agyepong and Second Vice-Chairman some party officials and workers at the Sammy Crabbe from our positions, using headquarters. For example, you sacked illegal means, we are going over the edge. Opare Hammond, the finance and Below: Police at the NPP administration director. Why? headquarters to restore order Q: You did say when you took over A: I was compelled to sack Opare when “bullies” were sent out with the NPP chairmanship, the party was Hammond because we uncovered certain machetes to cause mayhem at the in a terrible shape. Could you elabo- administrative and financial things that he party headquarters, a indication rate? had done, and they were illegal and criminal. that things had really fallen apart. A: The state in which I found the party The evidence showed that Hammond en- was shocking. Financially, the party was in gaged in dubious schemes at the party head- deep trouble. More debts than assets! The quarters with the backing of a major leading NPP had raised millions and millions of party member. At the appropriate time, if Ghana cedis in 2012 during the general elec- the need be, I will not hesitate to expose tion, but by the time I took office in April that person. 2014, the party had only 89 Ghana cedis to I called Hammond into a meeting with the its name. I repeat, 89 Ghana cedis! But it general secretary and told him that on the had huge debts! The only account controlled basis of the illegal things he had done, I had by the party at the time had only 89 Ghana no choice but to sack him immediately. It cedis in it! Can you believe it?! was on a Friday and I asked him to take all Later we discovered several bank accounts his personal belongings out of the office, and all over the place that had the NPP tag to come back on Monday to write his handover them but operated by people who were notes and leave the premises. neither elected officials nor appointees of the About the same time, we were reforming party, just that they were very close to the Communications Department and we Akufo-Addo. They didn’t have the mandate advised Perry Okudzeto, a deputy director, or authority to operate a bank account in the to proceed on leave for eight weeks because name of the party. he had always been complaining about not All those accounts were in the negative by taking any leave for 4 years. Okudzeto was millions of Ghana cedis. Those same people to return to post after his leave when we operated a forex account in the party’s name would have put certain things in place at the and there was about US$48,000 in it, but not Communications Department. controlled by the party. This was how bad it The next thing we knew, these two men

32 were out there on radio stations, lying about that. There are so many things that have Q: When did the plan to remove you the general secretary and myself, and creat- gone wrong in this party. There was a time I as national chairman start? ing unnecessary tension in the party. was chairing a National Executive Council A: When Adams Mahama, our Upper East meeting, and a regional chairman who is an regional chairman died, we were confronted Q: Did you do anything to counter the Akufo-Addo loyalist just rushed up on me with an emergency situation of enormous allegations made by Okudzeto and and snatched the microphone from my hands proportions, so I immediately asked that we Hammond? because he didn’t like what I was saying. I hold a joint meeting of the Council of Elders A: You bet! I decided with the general turned to Akufo-Addo, and I asked him, have and the National Executive Committee. As I secretary to hold a press conference and you seen the level of indiscipline the party is was sending word out for us to have this explain matters to the public, particularly now in? meeting, Akufo-Addo called from Holland to the NPP members. The day before the press Talking about indiscipline, there is this say he had heard that I was convening a conference, in the evening, a party elder member who has become an albatross meeting and I should hold on, because he came to see me and Agyepong in my office. around our necks. I am talking about the was coming back to Ghana on a KLM flight He told us that he was coming from a meet- NPP Member of Parliament for Assin that evening; so that we, I mean he and me, ing in Akufo-Addo’s house and that he had Central, Kennedy Agyapong. His reckless could have a meeting before the general been asked by the intolerant militant wing conduct and pronouncements are very emergency meeting. to inform us to cancel our press conference. damaging to the party and its fortunes. Akufo-Addo arrived that night and we met Akufo-Addo’s men were lying about me, The party has members from every corner at Ama Busia’s house. We agreed to hold the vilifying me, and yet I was not allowed to of the country but Agyapong gets up and joint meeting of the Council of Elders and explain matters? If I wanted to go out there spews hate speech against Ewes, Gas and the National Executive Committee on Mon- and state my side of the story, I must seek Northerners. If you were an NPP member day after Adams Mahama’s funeral that Akufo-Addo’s permission first? I told the from any of these ethnicities, how would you weekend. In fact they prevailed on me not to elder that I was determined to go ahead with feel? This man gets up and calls his fellow attend Mahama’s funeral because I had said the press conference the next day, and as party members idiots, and stupid people. He I wanted to be there, because people were chairman I did not need to get approval or goes on the radio stations and even insults accusing my family of being behind his instructions from the presidential candidate former President John Kufuor, the party’s murder. to hold a press conference or do my job. The only living legend. The NPP has been I told them that as northerners, we had elder then said so be it, “it is on your head” executing its political campaigns on Kufuor’s the belief that if you were accused of killing and he left. I did not really get it. impressive record in office, so if we allow our somebody or having a hand in the death The next day, I went with the general own member to verbally attack him, then of somebody, and you attend the person’s secretary to hold the press conference at the what do we do when it comes to election burial and go to the gravesite, exactly three party’s headquarters, and barely 25-30 time? My goodness! days after the burial, you would die because minutes into it, the intolerant militant Agyapong has been made by the intolerant your soul would have been grabbed by the wing’s invincible forces come to disrupt the militant wing of the party to feel he is person into the grave and taken away. press conference completely. Machetes and untouchable, but when I assumed the chair- But they pleaded with me not to go to the knives came out at the party’s headquarters, manship, I was prepared to take him on once funeral. Akufo-Addo promised that when he and blood was spilled. The police had to be and for all. I told Akufo-Addo that I intended got to the funeral, he would announce that I called to restore order. This was the situa- to ask the minority leader in Parliament to had wanted to come but he had prevailed on tion we found ourselves in. It was total remove Kennedy Agyapong as a ranking me not to. But ask those who were at the mayhem in the party. member of the Parliamentary Select Com- funeral whether Akufo-Addo made any such mittee on Communications and then I would announcement! Q: Is it right for one to say that the send him to the National Disciplinary Com- Then Akufo-Addo returns from the funeral NPP is infested by indiscipline? mittee for them to fire a shot across his bows. to Accra and calls me on the phone, and says: A: One would be more than right to say Akufo-Addo told me not to touch him. “Chairman, your Monday joint meeting of But I persisted and raised the issue of the Council of Elders and the NEC is in trou- Agyapong’s crass indiscipline, unruly behav- ble. The regional chairmen have decided that ior, and flagrant disregard of party rules and they will not attend.” I asked Akufo-Addo: regulations at a National Executive Council “What did you tell them, and what is going meeting, and made a case for why the party on?” should ask the minority leader to push All the regional chairmen were Akufo- Agyapong from the front bench to the back Addo’s loyalists, and after the funeral, I was bench in Parliament, and why the National told, they met in Tamale to plot my impeach- Disciplinary Committee should take an ment. But as hard as the intolerant militant immediate action against him to deter wing tried, they could not get 40 percent of others. the delegates that elected me at the National Just as Akufo-Addo had told me, members Congress to legally start the process to im- of the intolerant militant wing on the NEC peach me as chairman. So out of desperation, also told me not to touch Agyapong, no mat- they resorted to illegal means to try to re- ter what he had said or done, I should just move me. leave him alone. They said Agyapong was an asset to the party. First Vice-Chairman Blay Q: Your brother, Gregory, is standing even described Agyapong as a gem. I trial in connection with the murder of remember General Secretary Agyepong ask- Adams Mahama. You have said your ing Blay twice. A gem, a gem? Blay said yes, brother is not guilty of Adams’ murder. a gem. Agyepong then said to Blay: “Mark Do you think some people in the party these words, because I will ask you one day murdered Adams to give you a bad whether this man is really a gem.” name and hang you?

33 A: Gregory is innocent. I think that throw- ing my brother into it was part of the whole plot against me. My brother had nothing to do with it, and he was nowhere near Adams Mahama when the incident happened. Gregory was at home sleeping, and the police came and woke him up and arrested him even though he was sleeping in the same room as my late dad. You see, my dad had suffered a fall and so we brought him to the Focus Hospital in Accra, Oheneba Boakye’s hospital, and he did the surgery for him. So they made us buy an orthopedic bed, one that you can recline and lower. So dad was now sleeping in that bed and my brother Gregory was now sleep- ing in dad’s normal bed. Whenever dad woke up and wanted to go to the washroom, Greg would get up, lower the bed with its mechanism and help him to the bathroom and bring him back. Gregory was lying there next to dad, fast asleep when they came and took him away and said he was the suspect in this matter. The case is now finally, after almost a year, coming to trial. Justice will surely prevail and my brother will be acquitted. It was all part of the engineered efforts by the intolerant militant wing to remove me as national chairman but it will not succeed. I will fight them till my last drop of blood.

Q: Truly? A: Oh yes. I hate injustice. I really hate it, so I always try to fight for the underdog. I believe that where there is justice, there is harmony. Where there is injustice, there is discord. That is why I went to prison and into exile. As a young man, during the Jerry Rawlings military junta era, when gross injustices took place and some leaders of this country were executed without trial, I stood up against the military junta and paid a high price for that. I was arrested and thrown into jail. Later I escaped from prison and fled Paul Afoko is a tough political fighter, and now he is at the heart of the battle, into exile in the United Kingdom. It was a as he sees it, to save the NPP from a small faction within that wants to usurp price worth paying. the party’s constitutional laws for the sake of consolidating power, regardless That spirit which drove the young Paul of the cost to the party’s reputation or perhaps much more damage than that. Afoko into taking to the streets in those days, working all day in Bolgatanga, and galvanizing young people against the mili- tary regime and its injustices, is still alive in ground to a halt within a week and the even in exile – you never left it? me. soldiers would leave their guns and run out A: Yes, it has always been with me – it is You see, justice has to be defended at all of the country, but unfortunately, things did in my DNA really. My family history has costs, so I joined a group of people to invade not work out. Rawlings dispatched a military always been within the UP tradition. We a radio station in Bolga, and we took it over. contingent to come after me. They grabbed started with the Northern People’s Party – I I made an announcement saying: “We are me and jailed me without trial. wasn’t born then – and it merged with the civilians, we don’t have weapons to go and National Liberation Movement and others to fight those military adventurers, but we Q: How long were you in jail? form the United Party. I grew up within a have an unassailable weapon, which is our A: Seven months. And then there was a family where the majority were UP. collective labor as a country. If you are a jailbreak by Alidu Kofi Giwa, Sylvester I saw the various transitions that took the market trader, take your goods home. If you Tanti, Kojo Gamal, Awal, and others. I am UP tradition to the PFP and then morphed are a teacher, a doctor, a nurse, all of you talking about the famous June 19, 1983 it into the NPP, as we know it today. should put down your tools and bring the jailbreak. And I escaped, and went into exile When I came back from exile in 2000 and country to a standstill, and let’s see how long in the United Kingdom. joined the NPP, it was a coming home in the soldiers can run the country.” more ways than one, a coming home to the So I said everybody should put down their Q: But the United Party (UP) political political tradition that I had always known tools and go home. I said the economy would tradition has always been with you, and loved dearly, for which I am now

34 First, I am praying the court to decide that A: There is an appeal process, isn’t there? the intolerant militant wing has breached I will appeal and will go all the way to the our constitution in what they did. Second, Supreme Court if necessary. I will fight to the court should order that they should not the end. put any impediments in my way regarding the performance of my duties as national Q: From what we are seeing, it looks chairman. Once the court grants those like the NPP doesn’t want to gain reliefs, it will be a contempt of court if they power. How on earth can they be doing go against the reliefs. what they are doing in an election year? A: Well, you should put this question to Q: So if it goes well in court, as you the people from the intolerant militant wing expect, you will effectively return as of the party who have attempted to remove national chairman in the middle of the me using illegal means. 2016 campaign. How are you going to work with Akufo-Addo’s faction, which Q: Let me take you back to the 2007 has always been hostile to you? NPP congress at Legon, which elected A: The NPP constitution is very clear that Akufo-Addo as presidential candidate I am the chairman. It is also very clear that for the first time. Is it correct to say that Akufo-Addo is the presidential candidate, the issues between you and Akufo-Addo and it prescribes duties for both of us. The today have roots going back to that era? presidential candidate is to lead a campaign At the congress, the police had to escort to win the presidency. The national chair- you out, after you were attacked by man is to manage the party. So Akufo-Addo Akufo-Addo’s supporters who accused will run the campaign, and I, as national you of distributing money to delegates chairman, will manage the NPP in such a to vote for Alan Kyeremateng. way that the party can carry the presidential A: I would not say that it was the 2007 candidate into power. incident, I won’t say that is what caused the problem between Akufo-Addo and myself, Q: Constitutionally, is the presiden- because I know that there were other under- tial candidate the leader of the party? currents happening, and those may have A: No! The party constitution is very clear. dovetailed into the Legon event. It says that the presidential candidate is Indeed what happened at that congress at there to lead a campaign only. Legon was outright thuggery! When Kufuor became president of Ghana, I went to the Legon congress – and the in his very first term he proposed to the pictures are there – wearing a pair of jeans party to make him the party leader. You and a T-shirt with NPP colors embroided know in England when the Conservative around the neck. How could I have carried Party is in opposition, the national chairman half a million US dollars in the pockets of my is the leader of the party, but when they are jeans? And to go into the conference hall, we in power the prime minister is the leader. So all went through a metal detector and a body I think that was Kufuor’s thinking, when, as search. I didn’t have a single penny on me. president of Ghana, he asked that the NPP Not a penny! I had left the cash I had on me amend its constitution and make him the in my car parked in front of Volta Hall, leader of the party. locked. The congress was held in the Great prepared to sacrifice everything to protect its But the party said a flat no! “No, you are Hall. I had no cash on me. constitution and indeed its soul. our candidate, win or lose you are out. We When the Akufo-Addo team realized that can’t concentrate power in the hands of one the voting trend was going firmly in favor of Q: You have taken the NPP to court. man,” they said. I was at that meeting when Alan Kyeremateng, they orchestrated this Tell us what the case is all about. the party said no to Kufuor. whole thing that Afoko was distributing A: I took my party to court to stop the During the time when Da Rocha was the money to delegates to vote for Kyeremateng, intolerant militant wing that has occupied a NPP national chairman and Prof. Adu to create confusion and an immediate disaf- certain position of influence in the party and Boahen was the presidential candidate, Da fection for the man and to change the trend. wants to hijack the NPP for its own narrow Rocha came out and pronounced: “Adu Boa- I had gone to the washroom, and when interests, from completely destroying the hen, the elections are over, you have lost, I came back I walked towards where the party. please go back and join everybody else in the delegates were. The Northern Region had Over 5,000 NPP delegates elected me as party. I, as national chairman, will continue finished voting and they had left, so the the party’s national chairman at a national to run the party, until we elect the next whole of that area was empty. Empty seats! delegates congress, which is the highest presidential candidate.” I have got the TV footage because I tried to decision-making body of the party. And some go to court over this matter. 77 people who had campaigned vigorously Q: In effect, you don’t have a party It was in the middle of those empty seats against me, sat in Accra and schemed to sus- leader as such? that a group of people just rushed up and pend me. Isn’t that a joke? A: To all intents and purposes, the consti- grabbed me and said I was giving out money. The court action is about the breaches of tution does not even mention the word They pushed and kicked at me. In the middle our party’s constitution, that’s all. “leader.” But it says that the National Chair- of empty seats! I wonder whether I was man shall at all times be the convenor. giving money to empty seats. Seriously! Q: If you win this case in court, what So the whole attention of the congress now next? Q: If the court does not side with you, turned to me. Somebody then took the micro- A: I am seeking multiple reliefs in court. what next? phone and started working the emotions

35 of the delegates. “Paul Afoko is sharing tiebreaker was Alan Kyeremateng, who had money over there. Is this party for sale?” beaten Mills in the estimation of the 20,000 That sort of thing. non-NPP supporters. For the first time I tasted the rough end of So the thinking at the time was that if we politics internally within my own party. really wanted our political tradition to Immediately it was all over for me. I told continue in office after Kufuor, the NPP myself, “Disengage, you don’t want any more should give to Ghanaians the person they of this, focus on your business.” wanted as presidential candidate, not the person the NPP wanted. The 20,000 non- Q: But you got back in again? NPP supporters had spoken loud and clear. A: I got back in again. And that was They did not want Akufo-Addo as the presi- because somebody I respected very much, dential candidate, they wanted Alan Kyere- and continue to respect, President John mateng. Kufuor, said to me: “Paul, you cannot just sit And very critically for us, NPP supporters back and say that after what happened will always vote NPP no matter what, but to at Legon, you are no longer interested in cross the constitutionally required 50% plus- politics, and you want to be apolitical and one mark to retain power, we needed the focus on your business. Do you want to tell help of floating voters who, according to the me that our political tradition and all the results of our poll, did not want Akufo-Addo. policies I have implemented will survive a This is why I decided to support Alan different political tradition coming in? Go Kyeremateng in the 2007 presidential and think about it.” primaries. I had prepared to leave for the United Kingdom to go and stay with my family Q: So your support for Alan was com- until after the 2008 elections but I changed ing from pure empirical evidence? my mind. And during the 2008 election A: Hardcore evidence. campaign, I worked my socks off for Akufo- Addo. I did the same thing for him in the Q: Not that you didn’t like Akufo- 2012 campaign. My record speaks for itself. Addo? A: No, no! I like Akufo-Addo’s eloquence. Q: In 2007, why did you support Alan He is very eloquent. That is number one. Kyeremateng against Akufo-Addo? Number two, he has a very good voice, he A: I did not come to support Alan Kyere- sings well. I don’t know if you have ever been mateng in 2007 because he was my friend. near him in church when he is singing No, he wasn’t. The support I gave him was hymns, he has a very good voice. based on hardcore evidence. There is also something about him that We did a poll of 40,000 respondents, all of sometimes I see in myself as well: He has a them Ghanaians. And we split them into two certain playful nature. Before I got close to – 20,000 were NPP supporters and 20,000 him, as I have now, I bought into the idea non-NPP supporters. We did the poll that he was an arrogant fellow. But as I got three times. That poll told us clearly that closer to him, I saw that it was a false tag internally, within the party, Akufo-Addo was placed on him just as I had been told by the favorite candidate for president. For the those who were close to the late Victor 20,000 NPP supporters we polled, Akufo- Owusu, that he too was falsely tagged with Addo was their man. He was 30 percentage that arrogance label. points ahead of Alan Kyeremateng, who Of course the relationship between Akufo- came in second, Alieu Mahama came third, Addo and myself has now reached a very and Papa Owusu Ankomah came fourth. rocky phase. Maybe it is at rock bottom and But when it came to the 20,000 non-NPP can’t go further down anymore. And so I am supporters, Alan Kyeremateng came first, now seeing another side of the man. followed by Alieu Mahama, before Akufo- Addo and Papa Owusu Ankomah, in that Q: But you know that a good voice order. and a playful nature will not win Akufo- At the time, the NDC had already settled Addo a presidential election? on Atta Mills as their presidential candidate, A: Yes, the empirical evidence in 2007 was so we placed him against our prospective against Akufo-Addo, and that scared me into candidates. For the 20,000 non-NPP sup- working extra hard for Alan Kyeremateng in porters, when Atta Mills was placed against the primaries, but the party delegates Akufo-Addo who was first on the NPP side, selected Akufo-Addo. they chose Mills over Akufo-Addo. Yes, Mills Then we entered the general election beat Nana Addo in their estimation. proper and we had to do everything and use But when Mills was placed against Alan every device available to us to ensure that Kyeremateng, he beat Mills. When Mills was Akufo-Addo won the elections. And that, I placed against Alieu Mahama, it was neck think, made us go into three rounds of and neck, 50-50. No winner, two rounds. voting. We had Round One where Akufo- When we placed Mills against Papa Owusu Addo led with over 100,000 votes, then Ankomah, Mills beat him. So for the NPP, Round Two where his lead was reversed by the empirical evidence showed that the Mills, and Round Three which was Tain,

36 Alan Kyeremateng (L) and Nana Akufo-Addo (R): In three head-to-head contests, Akufo-Addo has beaten Kyeremateng in the NPP primaries, but non-NPP supporters who will help the party cross the 50 percent plus one line want Kyeremateng instead of Akufo-Addo.

where, because we withdrew at the last minute, Akufo-Addo lost by 28,000 votes. The day that the then electoral commis- sioner, Afari Djan, announced that we were going to do the Tain poll before he would announce the final results, I left for Tain and planned to stay right through the day of voting because there is a huge northern settler community there. My late sister was married to somebody from the area, so we just went there and I brought my northern brothers down as well. I also brought regional ministers, district chief executives, heads of various bodies, all to Tain, at my expense. I brought them all to work hard to ensure that Tain became a turning point for the NPP.

Q: Yet, in the end, your party chick- ened out. A: That was a decision I strongly disagreed with, and I made it known to our presidential candidate, Akufo-Addo, in Wenchi, at Dr. Busia’s house, in the presence of President Kufuor and the party execu- tives. Kufuor was standing there when I said I did not agree with the decision to withdraw from the Tain contest. And he supported me. Kufuor wanted us to go to Tain and fight for every vote. But Akufo-Addo said “no, we are in court; so let the court decide.” Surely, you can’t be more Catholic than the Pope. Elections are won at the polling stations and not in court! In the end, we tried very hard to beat the empirical evidence that was against Akufo-Addo and we came very close to it – 49.9% is not something to sneer at.

Q: In the 2010 presidential primaries to select a candidate for the 2012 elec- tions, did you again support Alan Kyeremateng? A: Yes, I supported Alan Kyeremateng, but I did not go out there to campaign for him as I did previously. I just stayed in the background.

Q: Didn’t that give the Akufo-Addo team the idea that you were not with them? A: So what?

Q: So that in 2014, when you decided to run for the chairmanship, the intol- erant militant wing saw you as not their favorite candidate to support? A: I wasn’t their favorite, not at all. That

37 was when I started realizing that they had some strong animosity against me. There were various factors that I had looked at, including whether there was a residual resentment towards President Kufuor, that was being passed on to me, whether it had to do with my having fully supported Alan Kyeremateng and that had therefore marked me as being anti-Akufo-Addo.

Q: As a staunch party member, you want the party to win the 2016 elec- tions. Is that why you sought the chair- manship of the party? A: Yes. The way it happened was that in strategizing for victory in 2016, a group of friends and I sat and looked at the issues facing the party. One of the main issues was that our party had been labeled an Akan party, so we wanted to find a way to dispel that misconception and we realized that we needed to get a northerner to be the national chairman of the party. It was a collective decision …

Q: But what you call a “collective decision” was not taken by the general body of the party? A: No. The decision to bring a northerner in, who would be able to win the chairman- ship and help move the party forward and recapture national power, was taken by our group of friends. So we targeted six people. Two of them were considering the idea of being presiden- tial running mates in 2016, so they didn’t want the chairmanship position. Another said, “I am a Gonja and the current presi- dent is a Gonja too, and if I do this or that, it might not look good.” So we had to let go that person. And for various reasons, the others did not want the position. When we went to the home of one of them at night and sat up with him, he asked me: “Why are you, Afoko, sitting here trying to convince me to become NPP national chair- man when you can do it yourself?” I said, “I am a businessman, I am ready to support you financially through a campaign. I will Paul Afoko is pushing hard within his own party to have clear accountability back you.” But he said: “No, no, don’t come and responsible stewardship. talking to me. Do it yourself.” When, in the end, we couldn’t find any- body from the north to run for the chairman- ship as planned, my friends turned to me who have asked me to do it, you are the first The next person I went to see was former and said: “Seriously, why don’t you do it person I must talk to.” President Kufuor. When I told him about it, yourself?” Initially I refused, but later I I was waiting for an answer but my dad the first thing he said was: “Paul, it is a agreed to test the waters. just said: “Ah, you’ve just arrived, isn’t it? I thankless job you are looking to do. Why do suggest that you go to bed, tomorrow morn- you want to do it?” Q: So that’s when and why you ing we will talk about it.” I explained things to him, the way we have decided to run for the chairmanship? So I went to bed. In the morning I came to been labeled an Akan party and all that. A: Yes. But I didn’t just go for it. I went the breakfast table and my dad was already Then he said: “I am going to South Africa, go straight to the North, to my father. I arrived having his omelet and all that, and I sat with and think about it; when I come back we will in Bolga at night and went to the house him and said: “Dad I really have to go back discuss it.” where I grew up and sat with my father. I to Accra, I only came to you to get an When I got up to leave, he said: “Don’t said to him: “Dad, I am looking at the possi- answer.” forget, go to Akufo-Addo, go and run it past bility of running for the NPP national chair- And he just said: “Paul, you have my him.” Immediately I left Kufuor’s house, I manship position, but before I would even blessing and my support. Go ahead, do it!” started calling Akufo-Addo, but he wasn’t make a decision and inform all those people So I thanked him and returned to Accra. answering his phone. So I next went to see

38 Paul. So he said: “Paul, I have just seen a East Region to start Round One of my cam- missed call from you.” I said, “Yes sir. I paign immediately after the Supreme Court wanted to come over to see you. So now that verdict in the election petition case, which you have responded, can I come?” we lost. He said to me: “I am not at home, I am out and about. Come to my house tomorrow Q: Fortunately, in the end, the party morning at eight o’clock. I will see you before chose you, a northerner, as national I go to court.” At the time the 2012 election chairman. petition case was still running in the A: Oh yes, the party decided at the Tamale Supreme Court. congress to pick a northerner and they voted So the next day I went and I saw him in for Paul Afoko. That was a party decision. the morning. I was sitting there when Philip Addison [the lawyer engaged by the NPP for Q: But Akufo-Addo didn’t want you to the election petition case] arrived. So Akufo- become the chairman? Addo came downstairs and said: “Paul, I A: Yes, he didn’t want me to become the know you were here earlier but let me just chairman. He and the 77 people who claimed

“Over 5,000 NPP delegates chose a northerner, Paul Afoko, as national chairman. And only 77 NPP people sat in Accra and removed the northerner. So the party cannot be tagged an Akan party at all. But the people who want to control the party today, the intolerant militant wing, are the ones who may be labeled as such. Not only that, they are anti-northerners.” – Paul Afoko

see Addison because he wants to go to court. to have suspended me worked against my We would follow later and then I can have a candidature. chat with you.” So he saw Addison and Addison left. Then Q: As a northerner, your election as I went and joined him in his study. I told him national chairman somehow blurred I wanted to run for the NPP chairmanship the perception that the NPP is an Akan position and the reasons why I wanted to do party. But looking at how you have so. He said to me: “Paul, don’t go campaign- been treated, does it not reinforce that ing, because we are still in court. I am perception? reliably informed that the court case will be A: I like the word “perception.” It is only over within two weeks, then we can talk a perception. Because if you look at it afterwards.” seriously, over 5,000 NPP delegates chose a I explained to him that I was not cam- northerner, Paul Afoko, as national chair- paigning, I was just testing the waters. I was man. And only 77 NPP people sat in Accra informing key people in the party of my and removed the northerner. So the party Kwadwo Mpiani, Kufuor’s former chief of intention, so that when things settled down, cannot be tagged an Akan party at all. But staff. Mpiani listened to me and said: “You I could then go out and campaign. the people who want to control the party know you are a businessman, and I have He responded: “Okay, I hear your reasons, today, the intolerant militant wing, are the observed you over the years, you like to do which include the fact that the NPP has been ones who may be labeled as such. Not only things in a certain orderly fashion, but in tagged an Akan party, and you want to do that, they are anti-northerners. politics it is a different ballgame all together. something about it.” Akufo-Addo then sat Not that I don’t think you are not up to it, back for a while and said something that Q: After your election as chairman, but I am asking whether inside you, do you stuck in my mind. He intoned: “If the party you faced a lot of resistance. Was it really want to do it?” decides to look to the north for a chairman, because you won against the odds? I said to him: “Yes sir, I am up to it and I you will find that I will not be your enemy.” A: No, winning against the odds was not want to do it.” Mpiani said: “Okay, and you Those were his exact words – a very interest- the reason why I faced the challenges. It was said you wanted to talk to Akufo-Addo? Go ing choice of words! the reforms that I wanted to undertake in to his house tomorrow morning at eight and I then told him that if I had been the the party that triggered all this - the very you will get him.” national chairman, he would not be sitting idea that I wanted to reform the party in court fighting an election petition. The offended the intolerant militant wing. Bul- Q: So finally did you get Akufo-Addo? NPP would have won the 2012 election one lies were called in to harass me and they A: Yes. In fact, barely five minutes after touch. So I got up, thanked him and left. even pulled machetes on me at the party Mpiani had told me to go to Nana’s house at After telling a few more key people in the headquarters. But a few people cannot be 8 am the next day, my phone rang. It was party about my intention, I needed to go allowed to hijack the NPP. As I said earlier, Akufo-Addo. Those days he used to call me back home to base. So I went to the Upper I will fight them till the last drop of blood.

39 Q: Throughout this interview, you him, do their own things without authoriza- The general secretary goes to do it and the have been referring to an “intolerant tion from the NPP leadership, it is unfair to party treasurer blocks it, even though the militant wing” that occupies a certain blame the party. And people should stop treasurer has no authority to do that. He is position of influence in the party. associating the party with these crazy things only a custodian of the money. Nothing Why do you call them intolerant and by the intolerant militant wing. more, nothing less. militant? According to the NPP constitution, there A: Let me tell you this story. A few months Q: One prominent issue that has come should be three signatories to party bank after taking office in 2014, I was at a church up in the course of the NPP crisis is the accounts and the people who can authorize service at the Ridge Church for the late Ecobank account scandal. What actu- party payments are the national chairman Gladys Asmah. Our national women’s ally happened? and the general secretary. organizer, Otiko Djaba, came in very late A: As I told you earlier, when I came into Yet the treasurer decided that he would and I made way for her to sit beside me. I office, in 2014, there were so many NPP not even let us see the checkbooks. Our asked her how she could be so late and she said “chairman, are you not aware that we are camped at a hotel at Mile 7 in Achimota for training by the Serbians? All regional organizers, women organizers, youth organ- izers, and Nassara coordinators are under- going training by the Serbians.” I said, “what, what’s going on? I don’t know any- thing about it.” My blood started boiling. I asked her who brought the Serbians into the country, and what was the training about? She became quiet. Immediately after the church service, I asked Djaba to take me to the hotel where they were camped and I asked General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong to join us. When we got to the hotel, I saw our people all over the place with two Serbians, a man and a woman, but I was told the Serbians were four and that two had left. I walked in and saw the national organizer, John Boadu, and I asked him what was going on. He was holding a piece of paper, and I snatched the paper out of his hands. It was the training contents and I was shocked to my bones at what I was reading. These people were out of their minds. As dark clouds hover over the NPP, the party’s supporters have become They wanted to win the elections on the despondent, not knowing what the future holds. streets of Ghana and not at the ballot box. That’s the militancy I am talking about. I told them that I, Paul Afoko, as chairman of the NPP, would never allow them to take the bank accounts all over the place operated by treasurer would bring a single leaf of the party on that crazy route. all sorts of people. I said no, we will keep one checkbook and say “sign here, sign there.” In the presence of the two Serbians, I account, and then later we increased it to And the general secretary would sign, until admonished our party people and asked two within the same bank – Ghana Commer- the Finance Committee intervened to say, them to leave the hotel immediately and go cial Bank (GCB). I set it up so that for any “no, treasurer, you can’t do that.” But the home. money coming in, everybody could see it treasurer, wherever he was getting his going into the two accounts. And for any authority from, continued regardless. Q: So the government’s statement money going out, everybody could see it In the end, he blocked the payments to the that the NPP brought some Serbian going out. It makes our finances very trans- constituencies. You see, when you are send- nationals into the country in 2014 to parent. ing Gh¢10,000 to every constituency, and we train selected people drawn from We had about Gh¢9.7 million from the have 275 constituencies in the country, that across the country in the art of civil parliamentary primaries. I took a proposal amounts to Gh¢2.75 million. Can you believe insurrection, dubbed “Assaulting the to the National Council that I wanted to that we did not have that money in the bank Pillars of Power,” is true? share the money in this order: 40% to all con- account! A: The NPP as a group did not bring any stituencies, 20% to regions, and 40% Fortunately, all the banker’s drafts that Serbians into the country. When I called a retained at national headquarters. The came in were recorded by the general secre- Steering Committee meeting on this issue, I National Council said yes, we agree, go tary in his secretariat before passing them was told that Ken Ofori-Atta, a cousin of the ahead and do it. on to the treasurer for banking. So I wrote to presidential candidate, paid the four So I asked the General Secretary Agye- the treasurer and asked what had happened Serbians and brought them into the country pong to work it out and let me know how to the money? It was a small one-paragraph to train our party people. As the chairman of much goes to each constituency. He came memo, and this treasurer wrote back to me the NPP, I wasn’t aware of it and the Steer- and told me it meant every constituency a four-page reply, telling me I had lost all ing Committee also had no knowledge of it. would get Gh¢25,000. I said good, let’s moral authority to ask him where the money When people who are related to the presi- release the funds to them in tranches, and was. dential candidate or people who are close to first give every constituency Gh¢10,000. Unbeknownst to me and the general

40 secretary, the treasurer and some members of the intolerant militant wing had secretly reactivated a dormant party account at the Ecobank and diverted the funds into the account.

Q: Surely, they did that? A: Yes! Where does a treasurer get the authority to do that? I leave the answer to your readers. General Secretary Agyepong had to go to the presidential candidate, Akufo-Addo, and plead with him to talk to the treasurer to release the money. Then the treasurer started putting money piecemeal into one of the party’s official accounts at the GCB, until we got the GH¢2.75 million to give to the constituencies. Today, as we speak, I doubt if there is any- thing left in the Ecobank account. And I know for sure that the constituencies didn’t get the rest of the money that was approved by the National Council. I know that for a fact! So where is the rest of the money? What a shame! Guess what? Now we know from a letter written by lawyers for Freddie Blay to the NEC Sub-Committee that Akufo-Addo was present at the meeting that took the illegal and criminal decision to reactivate the dormant account at Ecobank and divert those bankers drafts into it. These are the things that created the problems. That was one of the flashpoints.

Q: Tell us, why can’t the NPP resolve its problems within the confines of the party? Or better still, why can’t the party seek arbitration from, or let Paul Afoko wants his party to win the 2016 elections, and this is what drove notable well-wishers come in and help him to seek the chairmanship of the NPP in the first place, and it is why he resolve the issues? Why must you tear is fighting back now within his own party, as he has always believed in the yourselves apart? bigger picture of a Ghana led by an NPP president. A: There have been several efforts by well- meaning individuals and groups to bring sanity into the NPP but the intransigence by the intolerant militant wing is unbelievable. with the sub-committee of the Council of Chatham House. We would be back in the One person who has done so much to try Elders. Out of those 22 meetings, the Elders country around the same time. When I get to restore peace to the party is President themselves called one meeting. The other back, I will invite you, Kwabena Agyepong, Kufuor, and I am most grateful to him. At meetings were all at my instigation. This Akufo-Addo and President John Kufuor to one meeting of the Council of Elders, a shows you how serious I was about the Manhyia and together we would resolve all disturbed Kufuor passionately talked about situation. the pertinent issues that are affecting the the crisis in the party and one could see pain The International Democrat Union (IDU) party. Until then, my son, I don’t want you in the man’s eyes about the mess in the sent officials from the Christian Democratic to say or do anything that would further party. It was emotional for me and I kept Union of Germany to Ghana to help us to worsen the situation. I have told Akufo-Addo asking myself why all this fighting in the resolve our crisis. The Germans did their the same thing.” I thanked his Majesty and party, why all the violence, why all the best but not much was achieved. They even promised to heed his advice. I returned to distrust, why all these fears? When Kufuor invited us to come over to Germany to study Accra and kept my cool. A few days later, the left the meeting, the Council of Elders the mechanisms that their party used to intolerant militant wing convened an illegal decided to put a sub-committee together to handle their internal problems. meeting and announced that they had help the NEC resolve our problems, advise Later, the King of Asante, Otumfuo Osei suspended me indefinitely from the party. us and facilitate a settlement. They picked Tutu II, got involved. He invited me to his Can you imagine that! four elders – Madam Ama Busia, Felix palace in Manhyia, Kumasi. I went and told Owusu Agyapong, Kwadwo Mpiani and him my side of the story. After listening to Q: So Akufo-Addo defied the Asante- Ambassador Adjei Bawuah. But Hackman me, the Asantehene told me: “My son, I have hene? Owusu Agyemang literally forced himself heard you. I have also met Akufo-Addo and A: I leave it to your readers to decide for onto that committee and became a fifth heard his side of the story. Akufo-Addo told themselves. The day the Disciplinary Com- member. me he was travelling to America. I am also mittee did that illegality and said they were I can tell you that we had 22 meetings travelling to London to deliver a speech at recommending to the NEC that I should be

41 suspended indefinitely, how many hours did well as manufacturing and fabricating lies to Nana Akufo -Addo wants to win it take Akufo-Addo to issue a statement, destroy me, I wanted to expose them for the next presidential election. He saying that the structures had spoken and what they were – political savages – but has to, if he intends to stay in the that every true member of the party should some of these people would come to me political game. But it will require obey. How many hours did it take him? quietly and plead with me to hold my fire. tackling the internal strife in his You see, it is not that Akufo-Addo does not They told me: “No, no, you are the national own party in a direct manner. like Paul Afoko as a person. If there was chairman of the party, please don’t talk, another independent-minded person like me don’t do this or that.” becoming the chairman of the party, Akufo- So for almost two years, I sat there and got Addo may not like that person either. maligned and vilified only to realize that “Early last year, these same people were working in tandem Q: Do you have any regrets? at a meeting in Felix with the intolerant militant wing. In politics, A: Yes, I do have regrets. I kept so many you never know. things bottled up for such a long time for the Owusu-Agyapong’s sake of my party. I believed that at some house in Accra, I told Q: It is really worrisome to see a party point sanity would prevail. I believed that that desires to recapture national the closer we got to the election, it would Akufo-Addo that what he power behaving in the manner that the dawn on people that this waste of energy, was doing, and also how NPP is now doing. fighting ourselves internally, would have to A: Of course, it is worrisome, no doubt stop. I believed that we would get to a point his men had been telling about that. Our motto, “development in where people would suddenly realize that we lies about me, was taking freedom” is a belief deeply held by the party. were staring at something greater than the It is something that our political tradition control of the party by one faction, and that us closer and closer to the cherishes so much. we needed to forget all that and unite. But I edge of the precipice. And But as I keep saying, there is an intolerant was wrong. element that has occupied a certain posi- My first major regret is that I did not push once we got to the edge of tion of influence in the NPP. And when it my reform agenda aggressively enough, that precipice and I also spews such political venom, people think regardless of the resistance. Second, I that it is doing so on behalf of the whole underestimated the viciousness of the intol- begin to explain my side party. But it is not. That is the reason why I erant militant wing and thought I could of the story, we would go am in court today. Because that intolerant reason with them, but all they wanted was streak is destroying our party’s democratic to hijack the party, using diabolical schemes over the edge into an credentials, and must be stopped. for their own personal gains. And third, I abyss and we would We cannot allow the Elephant, the symbol trusted some of the wrong people in the and soul of the New Patriotic Party, to be in party. While the intolerant militant wing go in together.” jeopardy. We will rescue the Elephant from was plotting against me, creating too much – Paul Afoko the deadly grip of the intolerant militant gridlock and undermining anything I did, as wing. l

42 “The darkest hour is before dawn. I believe in the NPP. This political tradition has gone through a lot, worse than the current crisis. We sat for a long time in opposition, and at one time our political tradition was banned. But we have come through it because we have stuck to the abiding principles. We didn’t stick to individuals, we stuck to principles! We shall go into the future withstanding the test of time again. As long as we properly adhere to our constitution, we will survive this crisis and we will come through it stronger.” – Paul Afoko, National Chairman, NPP ‘We will rescue the elephant’

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