Alan Kyerematen, a former trade and industry minister, has spoken out against what he sees as the unjust expulsion of Kwabena Agyapong and Paul Afoko from the New Patriotic Party (NPP) leadership.
In an interview with UTV, Kyerematen—who left the NPP on Monday, September 25, to run for president on his own—spoke strongly about the role that sycophancy plays in the party’s internal politics.
On Tuesday, September 26, Kyerematen declared that “Kwabena Agyapong and Paul Afoko were the victims of sycophantic behavior within the party.”
He claimed that the tragic dismissal of capable and qualified people like Agyapong and Afoko was the result of sycophancy and blind allegiance to the leadership. He thinks that the two people were dismissed without following proper procedures or having an opportunity to confront the accusations leveled against them.
Kyerematen’s comments follow his own exit from the NPP, which he explained was partially motivated by his desire for a more open and inclusive political environment. He underlined the necessity for the NPP to respect differing viewpoints and make sure that internal procedures were impartial and open.
The NPP, he continued, must learn from its past errors and truly serve the people. He says that Ghana needs a political party that values healthy debate and gives room for opposing viewpoints.
Kwabena Agyapong, a former general secretary of the NPP, was suspended in 2015 for misbehavior together with Paul Afoko, a former national chairman of the party, and Sammy Crabbe, a former national vice chairman.
Article 3(d) of the party’s constitution, which mandates that members support the party’s decisions, was broken by Kwabena Agyapong, who was found guilty of the offense.
Additionally, he was charged with taking “unilateral actions and activities without consulting or obtaining authorization from the NEC.”
