Confusion broke out on Tuesday morning at Chorkor in Accra, when a group of young men led by the Constituency Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the Ablekuma South Constituency, chased out journalists who were to cover a press confab by a stalwart of the party, Mr. Ato Quarshie.
According to Citi News’ Duke Mensah, Mr. Ato Quarshie, a man in his eighties who is a known stalwart of the party, had invited journalists to attend a press conference that morning to air his views about happenings in the party.
Duke says as preparations were underway to start the confab, the Constituency Chairman, Kofi Asante accompanied by a group of young men, stormed the venue.
[contextly_sidebar id=”R2Gq3ZbzjvmbDvTIvn5yQdQGI5ou8N2G”]Mr. Asante demanded to know why a press conference was being organized in the name of the party without recourse to the constituency executives.
But Mr. Ato Quarshie explained that he was only about to issue a press statement in his personal capacity.
Despite his explanation, Mr. Asante vehemently opposed the idea and ordered his boys to disrupt the programme.
Duke says the young men scattered and broke the chairs, the sound system as well as the canopy, and asked the journalists to leave the area.
According to him, a cameraman from one of the television stations was slapped with his camera almost destroyed, as he attempted to capture the chaotic scenes.
He says the journalists were eventually chased out of the place. Later on there were reports of some gunshots being fired; Duke added.
Later in an interview with Citi News, Mr. Kofi Asante, the Ablekuma South Constituency Chairman, said Mr. Ato Quarshie, a known critic of the NPP’s Flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo, was going to use his press conference to create more divisions in the party.
He said Mr. Quarshie is also known to be against the candidature of the Ablekuma South Parliamentary Candidate, Lawyer Jerry Ahmed.
The elderly man, Mr. Ato Quarshie, told Citi News he has been a staunch member of the party and is genuinely concerned about its progress.
He however noted that the party’s current challenges have been largely fuelled by Nana Akufo-Addo.
He accused Nana Addo of being behind the suspension of Mr. Paul Afoko as the National Chairman, and asked him to either unite the party and work with everyone else or leave the party for someone else to lead them.
The NPP has been going through turbulent times largely blamed on perceived divisions which culminated into the death of its Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama and recently, Abubakar Saddique, who was killed in the Asawase Constituency allegedly by some members of the party.
The party has experienced similar chaotic scenes in some parts of the country and mostly at its Headquarters in recent times.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana