Joe Ghartey, 3 Others, Endorse Blay – B/A NPP Angry

Some ministers and appointees in the Nana Akufo-Addo government have openly taken sides by announcing their preferred choices for contestants in the upcoming New Patriotic Party (NPP) national executive race, much to the anger of hundreds of party delegates and grassroots activists of the ruling party.

In the most recent chain of such events, the minister in charge of Railways Development, Joe Ghartey, and three other deputy ministers, graced an occasion to flaunt their support for, and endorsement of Freddie Blay, who is contesting Stephen Ntim in the chairmanship race.

The MP for Esiikado-Ketan constituency was flanked by Kinsley Aboagye Gyadu, deputy Minister for Health, Kwamena Darko-Mensah, Deputy Minister for Aviation, and Paul Essien, Deputy Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs at an ‘endorsement ceremony’.

The four appointees had joined some regional executive committee members of the party from the Western and Central Regions, to unanimously declare their support for Mr. Blay and three others; namely John Buadu, acting General Secretary competing to be the substantive, national youth organizer, Sammy Awuku, who is competing for the national organizer position, and Dominic Eduah, who is running for national youth organizer.

Addressing the gathering, the Secretary for the Western Region NPP and a presidential staffer, Charles Nanabayin Onuawonto Cromwel Bissue, said the reason for their declaration for the four candidates was based on their track record in the past.

He said the candidates had proven their worth in times past when the party was going through internal turmoil, as they were able to rise to the occasion and battle to wrestle political power from the NDC.

B/A NPP Angry

But some party people from other parts of the country are ‘mad’ at the behaviours of the party leaders and appointees, cautioning that the essence of the National Delegates Conference, slated for July 7, in Koforidua, was to elect national executives, and not to endorse anybody.

A press statement, signed by 53 NPP Brong-Ahafo constituency officers, warned that the trend, if not checked, could split the party.

“As constituency officers with onerous duty to manage the party in tandem with the party’s constitution, we have resolved to disassociate ourselves from the decision by some Regional Executives and constituency chairmen as follows:

That we were not consulted before the decision was taken, which is a serious breach of the constitution and the tradition as provided by article 3D (1) & (2);

That this declaration will bring division in the party. Consequently, we know who will win the contest, and, provided the one who benefited the declaration loses, how are our leaders going to work with the one that won. More so, what will be the fate of the Brong Ahafo fraternity of the party?”, the release queried.

Some regional executives in the Greater Accra region were also cited by the media for similar acts, but some delegates say no such decisions would be taken on their behalf, stressing that they had already made up their minds. The chairmanship race is seen as the hottest of all.