Emmanuel Awinimi Atesiba, the Pusiga constituency communication officer in the Upper East Region of Ghana, has urged New Patriotic Party (NPP) Regional Chairman Lawyer Anthony Namoo to resign for leading the party from three parliamentary seats to none.
Atesiba dismissed allegations of anti-party misconduct, expressing that he is not surprised by the chairman’s actions, as Namoo’s leadership has been marked by failure. “Under his tenure, we lost all three seats, so it’s not surprising that this situation has arisen,” he stated.
He criticized the process by which the suspension statement was issued, arguing that it should have been signed by the regional secretary, similar to the national secretary’s protocol. “This reflects poor leadership. Namoo is asserting his dominance by preventing the regional secretary from signing the statement, which contributes to our current predicament,” he added.
Atesiba emphasized, “The statement should have been signed by the regional secretary, just like the national secretary does with official letters. It’s a bad leadership style that demonstrates his desire to control the region. He wants to do whatever he pleases, which is why we are in this position without a single seat. In fact, my constituency performed far better than his. So, why hasn’t he resigned for his poor performance?”Furthermore, he highlighted the injustice of their suspensions, claiming they were imposed without evidence, while the Pusiga constituency chairman openly campaigned against the party. “It’s unjust that we are being punished without evidence while the Pusiga constituency chairman openly campaigned against the party.
He claimed he faced threats due to the situation in the area, yet no action was taken against him for his conduct,” Atesiba remarked.The NPP Regional Executive Committee, led by Lawyer Namoo, has suspended 16 out of 21 executives from the Pusiga and Tempane constituencies due to reports of anti-party behavior, specifically campaigning for the National Democratic Congress in the upcoming 2024 elections.
In a meeting held in January 2025, the committee referred complaints from various party members to the Regional Disciplinary Committee, which scheduled a hearing for March 22-23. As a result, 16 members were suspended from holding any party positions for three to five years.
The suspended executives include Ayaaba Jacob Asaman (former constituency 1st vice chairman), Musah Awudu (constituency 1st vice chairman), Jambedu Ibrahim (former constituency organizer), Ayamba James Rahman (electoral area coordinator), Awini Stephen Akparibo (former constituency assistant secretary), Aladago Adams Sumaila (Nana, party member), Agbango Jonathan Akugri (electoral area coordinator), Simon Ayabugri (former electoral area coordinator), Azongo Stephen (party member, disqualified for three years), Alhassan Solomon Awini (former polling station secretary, disqualified for three years), Edward Atule Akwaka (polling station chairman, removed and disqualified for three years), Alhassan Abusang (member of the Constituency Council of Elders, disqualified for three years for failing to attend the hearing), Emmanuel Awinimi Atesiba (removed as constituency communications officer, disqualified for five years due to misconduct), Sawuda Bilgumsey (constituency 2nd vice chairman, disqualified until settling debts that brought disrepute to the party), Jacob Akazusah (constituency treasurer, disqualified for five years due to financial misconduct), and Iddrisu Kadri Agoje (constituency deputy Nasara coordinator, removed and disqualified for five years).
Lawyer Namoo emphasized that the situation is internal and reiterated, “Engaging in anti-party behaviour means campaigning against our candidates. Those who admit to such acts forfeit their membership.”
Source: mywordfmonline.com/Gaspard Ayuureneeya Adongo