After a series of threats to fight his suspension in court, under pressure National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Paul Afoko, has finally filed a suit at the High Court seeking to overturn his suspension.
Mr. Freddie Blay, acting NPP National Chairman and the NPP as an organization, are the defendants in the writ of summons dated 7th December 2015.
Mr. Afoko, who hinted of his decision to go to court at a press conference on November 18, 2015, has maintained that his suspension and subsequent approval by the National Council of the party is unconstitutional.
[contextly_sidebar id=”Tuqmsi8HHeOr6Y3o3egAllsKNkymcMef”]“After exhausting all the internal processes I am left with no option than to head to the court to seek interpretation of my party’s constitution. I am not only doing this for myself but for everyone else including the flagbearer of our party, because today it is the national chairman, the next time it may be a flagbearer. It is wrong for some seventy people to sit in a room somewhere in Accra and decide to remove an elected official.”
The writ said the defendants are to respond in eight days or in default have a judgement given in their absence.
Mr. Afoko was suspended by the National Executive Committee of the party in October after some members petitioned the party over his conduct.
In November, the party’s National Council, which is the second highest decision making body of the party after congress, also voted unanimously to affirm the suspension.
The decision was taken after a marathon meeting on Thursday November 12, to study a forty-page appeal document forwarded to the party by Mr. Afoko.
Out of 77 people who voted at that meeting, 70 voted for the suspension to be upheld, six abstained from voting, while one voted for him to be reinstated.
But Mr. Afoko says he is convinced the processes that resulted in his suspension were wrong.
Already, another member of the party, Oppong Kyekyeku, who also went to court to challenge Mr. Afoko’s suspension, had his case thrown out as the Court directed him to exhaust internal party structures.
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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citifmonline.com/Ghana