Agyapong Deserves To Be Recalled

Yesterday, we carried an exclusive front page news item under the headline; “Agyapong Returns … But Afoko, Crabbe still in the cooler.”

According to the report, the top hierarchy of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) is considering recalling some of the national executives, who have been suspended from the party for various infractions.

We mentioned the names of Kwabena Agyapong – General Secretary, Paul Afoko – National Chairman and Sammy Crabbe – Second Vice Chairman, as executives who have been suspended indefinitely by the party.

We noted that even though we are unable to tell whether the party would recall Mr. Paul Afoko and Mr. Sammy Crabbe, sources at the NPP Headquarters were optimistic that Mr. Kwabena Agyapong would likely be considered.

The source said the National Executive Committee would be meeting any moment from now, to consider the recall of some of the suspended officers who have shown genuine remorse over the matters that led to their suspension.

The Chronicle is not surprised that, at long last, the NPP is considering recalling its Chief Scribe for showing genuine remorse, after he was indefinitely suspended from the party, late last year.

This was because, when the three national officers of the NPP were suspended from their respective positions for breaching the party’s Constitution, the National Chairman and his Second Vice went ballistic, and dragged the party to court.

Mr. Afoko, who was suspended for refusing to appear before a Disciplinary Committee set up by the party to investigate allegations leveled against him, went to court to reverse the decision.

On his part, Mr. Crabbe, who was suspended for refusing to appear before the Disciplinary Committee of the party, challenging its (Disciplinary Committee) status, also dragged the NPP to court to seek redress.

The two top party officials went to and from the court for several weeks, being accompanied by their loved ones and other party supporters, but could not convince the Presiding Judge to give them victory.

Not only did they go to court, but they also used the media to criticise the party they belong to, a decision which did not go down well with the top echelon of the NPP.

However, in all of these, Kwabena Agyapong presented himself before the Disciplinary Committee, and after its investigations, he was suspended indefinitely.

He was found guilty of violating Article 3(D) of the NPP Constitution, which enjoins members to publicly uphold the decisions of the party.

Unlike his colleagues, even though Kwabena Agyapong did not agree with the decision of the Disciplinary Committee, he did not challenge the verdict and findings, but remained resolute, and served his suspension.

Initially, he was accompanying Paul Afoko and Sammy Crabbe to court during the hearings, but was always hiding from the cameras and the crowd.

At a point, he even stopped going to court with them, and finally snubbed them when they were going for their judgments.

It is against this backdrop that we, at The Chronicle, believe that Mr. Kwabena Agyapong deserves to be recalled to contribute his quota towards the victory, which is beckoning the biggest opposition party.