A group calling itself NPP Youth for Victory 2024 has called on the party leadership to create a fair field for all candidates in the party’s internal elections.
They have said that the incidence where the impression is created that the system supports only one candidate should be discouraged.
This was said at a Press Conference in Accra on Monday. It was under the caption *DR BAWUMIA AND HIS SUPPORTERS ARE DIVIDING AND DESTROYING NPP*.
The NPP Youth For Victory 2024 describes itself as a group of experienced professional men and women of the NPP with a common purpose to pull resources together (financial, logistics, and manpower) to ensure that the NPP Breaks the 8 come 2024 general elections.
They said that prior to the recent National Delegates Conference, the NPP issued a communique pointing out clearly what each potential candidates and their supporters ought not to do.
“We found candidates complying with these directives and we want to commend all those who did, and to appreciate your respect for law and order,” they said.
The group however noted that supporters of the Vice President were spotted flouting the rules of engagement by wearing Bawumia branded T-shirts to the grounds. The group alleged that some of the t-shirt wearing persons confided in them that they were given the T-shirt and Ghc 10 to come and cheer up the Vice President.
“Amazingly, as though the Bawumia branded T-shirt was equivalent to accreditation card, all those wearing the printed shirts were granted access to the conference grounds to come and deliberately disturb the peace of Delegates to think for the party,” the group said.
The group said that they also saw billboards of the Vice President raised by a group calling itself “Friends of Bawumia”, which the NPP national officers looked on and took no action to bring such nuisance to order.
“A similar issue happened during the celebration of the final Adae Kese Festival, where supporters of Dr. Bawumia displayed placards, t-Shirts and banners of the so-called Friends of Bawumia, even after the issuing of the code of conduct. This happened right in front of the General Secretary John Boadu and Chairman Wuntumi and at no point did any of them call this action to order either at the event or even after the event. This shows a selective application of the code which is not proper for the development of our party,” the NPP Youth Activists alleged.
Speakers at the conference were Jerry John Campbell from Okaikoi North Constituency, Edward Adams from Upper Denkyira East and Frederick Opoku from Weija Gbawe.
They said that another issue they sadly observed at the conference is the intentional breach of protocol as a propagandist way of launching Bawumia campaign.
“Protocol demands the President should be the last dignitary to be seated at such functions, yet for this staged Delegates Conference, the Vice President, who seemed to have forgotten all proper protocols decided to come late to the conference after the president was seated and to disturb the sanctity of same. Up to this time, the leadership of the party has not even coughed about it,” the NPP Youth said.
They said that they have been watching the party’s top hierarchy before and after the National Delegates Conference in Kumasi and how some Members of Parliament led by Hon. Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu (Majority Group Leader), Hon. Amin Anta (MP, Karaga), Hon. Habib Iddrisu (MP, Tolon), Hon. Farouk Mahama (MP, Yendi), Mr. Anthony Karbo, Nana Boakye (Nana B), Chairman Wuntumi (the Ashanti Regional Chairman), Mr. Mohammed A. Baantima Samba (Northern Regional Chairman), Mr. Kwabena Nsenkyire among others have kept on violating the party’s directives by openly declaring their support for the Vice-President’s flagbearership bid without any rebuke from the party’s hierarchy. This is not the best for a party that is seeking to break the 8. So far as the party has stopped other potential aspirants from campaign, such activities shouldn’t be encouraged. It seems it is right for the Vice President and his supporters to flout party rules but other candidates cannot do same. This must stop,” they charged.
The Youth stated that there seem to be a grand scheme targeted at individuals who are perceived to be supporters of the Hon. Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, to become the flag-bearer of the party and eventually the president of Ghana.
“It is rather worrying and an affront to our collective objective for known campaigners of Dr. Bawumia to threaten and in some cases sack persons perceived to be loyal to Mr. Kyerematen. Just last week Alhaji Ibrahim Kaleem, a member of the Northern Regional Communication team of the party, and Mr. Dawda Jentumah, Choggu West Electoral Area Coordinator in the Tamale Central Constituency have been issued with suspension letters for discussing and advancing Mr. Kyerematen’s contribution to the party since 1992. This selective “canker” must not be encouraged,” the Youth said.
They called on supporters of the Vice President to focus their attention on his main political platform of digitizing Ghana, instead of preaching the Vice President should be given the position because he is a Northerner and a Muslim.
“We do not see how the Vice President who in one breath shows he is tolerant and even attends Christian Church services will be going round telling people to support him because he is a Muslim. Such chameleon attitude is not fit for nation building. Unfortunately we have never heard the Vice president calling any of the proponents of such irresponsibility to order. The latest one is the Campaign by the Deputy Majority chief whip of Ghana’s Parliament in the person of Hon Alhaji Habib Iddrisu, who is also the MP for Tolon Constituency in the Northern Region.
“It must be noted that as per the electoral rules laid down by the party, if it were a supporter of another potential candidate behind such heinous actions, that person would have been eliminated from the race before the campaign begins but the general secretary who is already boot-liking the Veep cannot do anything about this and even when other prominent members of the party commit themselves in such irresponsible manner, because the executive is in bed with the Veep they are unable to call such actions to order and crack the whip,” they said.
They alleged that they have observed how the Campaign Team of Bawumia are moving from constituency to constituency campaigning, meeting delegates and potential delegates and allegedly giving them money to support the Vice President’s bid.
“It will be a dent on the integrity of National officers of NPP if they claim not to have seen this, but the question is what have they done about it? If it were another candidate, maybe that person would be suspended if not sacked from the party. Why are we killing those who bled for this party to stand for the sake of someone who came from nowhere to enjoy power and prominence in our party?” the group wondered.
“We cannot finish this meeting without speaking to the recent happenings at the Northern Region. The sad part is the Regional Chairman himself has confirmed supporting the bid of the Vice President and yet is sacking communicators from the party for attending events that are perceived to talk about Alan Kyerematen. Whether this is wizardry or myopia, we expect that as soon as the matter broke the national secretariat should have called the parties to order and kill the hypocrisy before it is escalated, but perhaps because it is they who are behind such shameful dismissals, our national secretariat has been loudly quiet about the issues. Time will not permit us to go into the details, but we will leave this to the able decision of the Council of Elders to ensure that such issues are quickly resolved in order not to breed sharp divisions in the party which can affect our chance for a shot at another victory,” they said.
In conclusion, they said that another electoral victory for the NPP is an automatic key to ensure the continuity in the development of Ghana our mother land.
“We will not mince words but will speak directly to the powers that be, and boldly confront you to sit up. You stand to gain more if we win power and yet your attitude is less of bravado and more of puppets of mediocrity. This must stop before we start a campaign to ensure that no national officer is retained. You are therefore kindly advised to play by the very book you have written. For us, victory is all we need, and we will go at all ends to make sure it does not elude us,” they said.
