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The Northern regional arm of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has suspended Alhaji Ibrahim Kaleen, who is believed to be a staunch supporter of the ‘Alan for President Campaign 2024’ from the party’s communications team.
The party, in a letter dated 5 January 2022, signed by the Northern Regional Director of Communications of the party, Mr Mohammed Sherrif Ibrahim, announced the indefinite suspension of Mr Kaleen for participating in a radio programme which the party said was purposely designed to push the flag bearer aspirations of one contender, without mentioning names.
The suspension letter was headlined: “Notice of Indefinite Suspension from Communications Team”.
The letter stated: “My attention has been drawn to your participation in a programme on Radio Tamale, a Tamale-based radio station designed for the sole purpose of advancing the campaign of a flag bearer aspirant.”
This, according to the Communications Directorate, is in clear violation of the directives issued by the Regional Chairman for the party for people to cease, among others, all media engagements purporting to campaign for a flag bearer hopeful.
Below is the full statement:
Hours prior to his suspension, Mr Kaleem and some other supporters of Trades Minister belonging to a group calling itself North For Alan, held a press conference at which they claim Mr Alan Kyerematen’s supporters were being treated like criminals by the leadership of the NPP while those supporting Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia vis-à-vis the internal race, were being encouraged to break the rules of the game and left off the hook.
Mr Kaleem, who addressed the press conference in his capacity as the group’s Director of Communications, complained: “Meanwhile, party members who also show support for Hon Alan Kyerematen are treated like criminals who have to be chased out of the party”.
In the group’s view, the party has selectively been applying the rules of the game by hounding supporters of Mr Kyerematen while goading supporters of the Vice-President.
“We hereby register our strongest protest at this selective application of party rules and sanctions, and call on the regional and national leadership of the party to create an even playing field for all interested party members”, the group said.
It noted: “Unity and fairness to all are what will guarantee the NPP a chance to ‘Break the 8’, not the selective application of the rules as is happening now”.
“We wish to state categorically that if some people have the right to declare support for the Vice-President and other aspirants, then we who believe that the leadership of Hon Alan John Kyerematen also have an equal right to express our preference without any fear. The NPP is a Democratic Party that believes in and upholds alternative views, tolerance and choice based on free will”, it added.
According to them, “We will vehemently resist all attempts to suppress, victimise and intimidate patriots who show support for Hon Alan Kyerematen”.
“It is crystal clear the overwhelming masses of the NPP are poised and eagerly ready to give the mandate of this party to Hon Alan Kyerematen and Insha Allah, nothing can stop that”.
Read the full statement below:
NORTH FOR ALAN PROTEST AT SELECTIVE APPLICATION OF PARTY RULES
Ladies and gentlemen of the media, welcome to this morning’s conference. We really appreciate your response to our invitation.
We have called you today to express our profound concern about certain developments in our party, the New Patriotic Party, which we believe if not discussed publicly and dealt with, will jeopardise the Party’s chances of uniting for victory ahead of the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Sometime last year, the General Secretary of the party Mr John Boadu, announced Rules and Regulations to govern the conduct of would-be aspirants to various executive positions in the party. The Rules and Regulations were also to check the conduct of the supporters of such would-be aspirants, especially those aspiring to the flagbearership of the party.
Among the key directives were that:
1. No party official shall declare public support for any aspirant ahead of the official opening of nominations;
2. That no paraphernalia promoting or advertising any aspirant should be displayed publicly ahead of the opening of nominations.
Since the announcement, a number of high-ranking members of the party have openly declared support for the Vice-President who, together with his supporters, has left nobody in doubt that he is interested in contesting the NPP flagbearership.
Notable among these party officials are a Deputy General Secretary of the party, Mr Obiri Boahen; the Northern regional executives led by Chairman Samba; the first Vice-Chairman of the Ashanti Region, Mr Kwabena Nsenkyire; the Member of Parliament for Karaga, Hon Amin Anta; the Member of Parliament for Tolon, Hon Habib Iddrisu; and Hon Farouk Mahama, MP for Yendi and some others.
These actions are clearly in violation of the party’s rules.
Especially because of the bigotry associated with their declaration.
The concerns we are raising today ladies and gentlemen are in respect of the fact that these and other regulations are not just being violated by some very high ranking members of the party with impunity; Our major concern is that when some party members attempt to resist these violations of party rules as happened in Savelugu during the Constituency Conference last year, the officers who try to defend the party’s rules are rather victimised, ostensibly because they are known supporters of Hon Alan Kyerematen, the Trade and Industry Minister, who is also widely known to be in contention for the Party’s 2024 flagbearer position.
Indeed, at the last National Delegates Conference of the party in Kumasi, no less a person than the Vice President himself stood in flagrant breach of the aforementioned rules and regulations when he arrived at the conference grounds with supporters wearing his branded T-shirts and banners announcing his campaign for the flagbearership.
Meanwhile, party members who also show support for Hon Alan Kyerematen are treated like criminals who have to be chased out of the party.
We hereby register our strongest protest at this selective application of party rules and sanctions and call on the regional and national leadership of the party to create an even playing field for all interested party members.
Unity and fairness to all are what will guarantee the NPP a chance to ‘Break the 8’, not the selective application of the rules as is happening now.
We wish to state categorically that if some people have the right to declare support for the Vice-President and other aspirants, then we who believe that the leadership of Hon Alan John Kyerematen also have an equal right to express our preference without any fear. The NPP is a Democratic Party that believes in and upholds alternative views, tolerance and choice based on free will.
We will vehemently resist all attempts to suppress, victimise and intimidate patriots who show support for Hon Alan Kyerematen.
It is crystal clear the overwhelming masses of the NPP is poised and eagerly ready to give the mandate of this party to Hon Alan Kyerematen and Insha Allah, NOTHING can stop that.
We thank you for honouring our invitation on this short notice.
Long live the NPP
Long live Ghana
ALHAJ KALEEM (DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS FOR ALAN CAMPAIGN, NORTHERN REGION)
CONTACT – 0244577120
MR. DAWUDA JENTUMAH (OPERATIONS TEAM MEMBER, ALANS CAMPAIGN – NORTHERN REGION
CONTACT – 0243216147
MR. SAYIBU GAFARU (SECRETARY OF THE GROUP)
CONTACT – 0243931136
MR. NURUDEEN ACHINFO SHAMSUDEEN (COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR OF THE GROUP)
CONTACT: 0243438906
MR. PRINX TIPARIGA ALHASSAN (PRESIDENT OF THE GROUP)
CONTACT – 0247940573
Source: MyGhanaMedia.com
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