A concerned group within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) known as Concerned Northern Grassroots of NPP has petitioned the party’s Council of Elders in the Northern Region to sanction some regional executives over Bawumia for 2024 declaration.

According to the group, the series of declarations has put the party in a very awkward position considering the fact that Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has not made any public pronouncement regarding his intention to contest as flagbearer of the party.

“We see the actions of the regional executives as an imposition of a candidate who has not even declared his intention to contest the upcoming National delegates conference of our party.”

The statement added: “3 polling station executives from the Savelugu Constituency who stood their grounds against the breach of Article 18 of the party’s constitution were suspended which in our opinion is a sharp contrast to the rule of natural justice.”

The group is therefore calling on the Council of Elders to intervene.

Read below a full, unedited text of the petition:

CONCERNED NORTHERN GRASSROOTS OF NPP

The chairman

Northern Region Council of Elders

Tamale.

06- 09- 2021.

Dear Sir,

PETITION

We the executives of the above mentioned group wish to draw your attention to the series of declarations that has engulfed our dear party in the region recently.

Mr. Chairman, these series of declarations in the last couple of weeks, has not painted a good image for our party. These declarations were initiated by the Northern Regional Deputy Secretary (Mr. Yussif Danjumah) in an interview he granted Citi News where he endorsed Dr. Mahmoud Bawumia, the distinguished vice president of the republic of Ghana as the flag bearer of the new patriotic party in the upcoming National Delegates Conference. This declaration was said to have been done on behalf of all Regional and Constituency Executives of our party in the region which later turned out to be false. Again, the Saboba District Chief Executive at their Annual Delegates Conference, possibly being emboldened by the first declaration also came out publicly and declared his support for Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia.

Mr. Chairman, these declarations in our considered view, puts the party in a very awkward position considering the fact that His Excellency the vice president has not made any public pronouncement regarding his intention to contest as flabearer of our party now or in the future.

We see this action by the northern regional executives as an imposition of a candidate, who has not even declared his intention to contest in the upcoming National Delegates conference of our party.

Mr. Chairman, another case in point is the recent annual delegates conference in the Savelugu constituency, where the (Polling Station Organizer for Kuga Fong No. 1) in a similar declaration, endorsed the vice president of Ghana supposedly on behalf of the executives in the Savelugu constituency. This declaration clearly contravenes our party’s code of conduct enshrined in (Article 18 of our party’s constitution) regarding the flagbearership contest.

Mr. Chairman, the aftermath of this Annual Delegates Conference of our party in the Savelugu constituency, has not been a pleasant story, as it has resulted in three (3) polling station executives being suspended for opposing the said declaration which was done at the conference. If sanctions should be meted out for any transgression, then it should be against the Savelugu Constituency Secretary, his vice and the Northern Regional Organizer (Alhaji Rashid COP) who were alleged to have masterminded the said declaration. We think that their action contravened the party’s code of conduct. Again, the action of the Savelugu constituency executives in suspending the three polling station executives, is in sharp contrast to the rule of natural justice which is premised on fair – hearing. Mr. Chairman, if the action of the Savelugu Constituency Secretary and his cohorts did not warrant a suspension, why would a refusal to accept that same declaration by these innocent polling station executives and speaking same against it call for a suspension? This action is nothing short of an attempt to intimidate and victimize polling station executives from asserting their rights.

Mr. Chairman, your intervention in our humble opinion, is very much needed to give guidance and direction to the conduct of our party executives in the region going forward. Mr. Chairman, in as much as we wish to condemn these actions in no uncertain terms, we respectfully wish to appeal to your good office to call the Savelugu constituency executives to order and to conduct an investigation on those suspensions for peace to prevail.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

……………………….

Alhassan Abdulai Tipariga (President)