'You Dare My Authority, You Dare NPP Council' � Afoko

The Chairman of Ghana�s biggest opposition party has told his critics that daring his authority amounts to daring the party�s National Council. Paul Afoko was reacting to internal criticisms that he and the General Secretary, Kwabena Agyepong, are unilaterally appointing and dismissing party appointees without proper consultation. The allegations followed a directive from the chief scribe, to the acting Communications Director, Perry Okudzeto, to proceed on his two-year accumulated leave, as well as Agyepong�s alleged unilateral appointment of new Deputy Communication Directors. Some stalwarts of the NPP � first Vice Chairman Freddie Blay, party elder Dr Kwame Amoako-Tuffuor, National Executive Committee Member F F Antoh, Northern Regional Chairman Daniel Bugri Naabu, and some others � have all raised concerns about Agyepong�s �one-man show�. But Afoko told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday that the compulsory leave directive was not borne out of malice. According to him, all officials of the party will, henceforth, be asked to go on a 15-day compulsory leave as part of the party�s quest to professionalise its administrative processes. He said a lot of the criticisms against him and Agyepong are grounded in misinformation and miscommunication. The press conference was disrupted by gun-wielding irate youth, some of whom also had machetes and other crude weapons on them.