Citi News has gathered that the Committee set up by the Steering Committee of the New Patriotic Party(NPP) has recommended the reinstatement of Perry Okudzeto and Kwadwo Opare Hammond to their respective positions.
Perry Okudzeto who was acting Director of Communication was asked to proceed on leave by party General Secretary Kwabena Agyepong.
Opare Hammond was also relieved of his post as the Director of Finance and Administration of the NPP, over what party National Chairman Paul Afoko described as gross disobedience to him, impropriety in the handling of party finances and his involvement in a case of conflict of interest.
[contextly_sidebar id=”0qnuaaNSUnbrbs3RrIISnAm9m6tGKIFW”]But a copy of the report intercepted by Citi News described the action taken by the National Chairman and the General Secretary as unconstitutional and has recommended they be reinstated immediately.
The report said Article 9 F (ii) of the NPP’s constitution, “in explicit terms, vests the National Executive Committee NEC with the power/discretion to appoint personnel of the National Secretariat, apart from the General Secretary and National Organiser who are elected by the National Delegates Conference”.
It stipulates thus: “The National Secretariat shall consist of the General Secretary, the National Organiser, the Director of Finance, the Director of Communications, the Director of Campaign Strategy and such other personnel as the National Executive Committee may appoint”.
“It is beyond controversy that if Deputy Communication Directors are part of the Secretariat then NEC has the sole prerogative of appointing them. This is clear. Nowhere is the General Secretary or any other officer or organ of the Party given the power to appoint such personnel. Indeed, for the sake of emphasis and to avert future controversy, it is hereby stated that only NEC has the power to appoint all other personnel of the Secretariat.
“It follows from the foregoing that the recent appointment of Deputy Communications Directors is unconstitutional, to the extent that same was without the blessing of the NEC. The General Secretary is humbly requested to reverse them for due process to be followed”, the report indicated
As far as the proceed-on-leave directive is concerned, the report said: “This apparently was without any consultation of the NEC or its Steering Committee. The Committee respectfully considers this an anomaly. In the light of the provisions of the Constitution referred to above, which enjoins collaboration between the General Secretary and the Steering Committee/NEC, as well as the fact that the Steering Committee is responsible for the daily management of the affairs of the party, the Committee finds the directive given by the General Secretary for those officers of the Party to proceed on leave, improper”.
By: Sammy Wiafe/citifmonline.com/Ghana