Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe narrates how the party worked against his election
Afoko was suspended together with two other executives
During the governing New Patriotic Party, NPP’s congress in Tamale on April 12, 2014, Paul Afoko was elected the Chairman of the governing party.
This was after a keenly contested internal election because the NPP at the time was remobilising to wrestle power from the then governing National Democratic Congress, therefore, they [NPP] needed strong leadership to help win the 2016 elections.
NPP founding member, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, speaking on Metro TV’s ‘One On One’ show, Monday, April 25, 2022, recalled some of the party members before the elections in Tamale were attacking Paul Afoko, who at the time had expressed interest in contesting for the party chairmanship and was campaigning vigorously toards that goal.
He said, he was alarmed by a letter he chanced upon, in which some individuals of the party had written to the Scotland Yard – headquarters of the Metropolitan Police – in England seeking Afoko’s criminal record.
“The Scotland Yard wrote back to the party indicating that they have no criminal record about Paul Afoko. With all these impediments [from the party], he won [to become the Party Chairman],” Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe said.
After that election, the main party leaders emerged as Paul Afoko, Chairman; Sammy Crabbe as Second Vice Chairman and Kwabena Agyei Agyapong as General Secretary. The trio were subsequently suspended indefinitely.
“Till today, the reasons given for their suspension, I personally don’t believe it. I came out to condemn it and the party deemed it as unconstitutional and if these executives have violated the constitution, they should allow the constitution to deal with it,” Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe noted.
He continued: “I got alarmed [by what the party was doing to the three executives], so, I said this shouldn’t happen under Akufo-Addo. The person I have known as a democrat, a human rights lawyer, and a defender of freedom.
“I had an attack [both verbal and physical] left, right and centre. People made an attempt of coming into my house but let them try it…One of the people who attacked me was Otiko Djaba. It was through me that Otiko Djaba got on the political platform of the NPP…later she came to attack me for defending democracy.”
Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe further indicated that since the party executives were suspended, the party held a national meeting involving the top hierarchy and his name popped up and the members there at the time stated that, “I [Nyaho-Tamakloe] should be suspended too. Those at the top were not able to come to a decision; then a gentleman called Ishmael Ashitey boasted that he can sack me... So, he signed the letter and the reason is that recently I have been making statements that are not in conformity with the party principle; I didn’t bother about it.
“I am still NPP and I can assure them that we are going to reconstruct that party,” Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe stressed.
