The Executive Director of the Africa Center for Parliamentary Affairs (ACEPA), Dr. Rasheed Draman, has criticized the leadership of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) for failing to consult the Majority Caucus before disclosing plans to reshuffle its leadership.
There were reports that Deputy Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin had been tipped to replace Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu as Majority Leader, but this decision was later halted for deeper consultations.
Members of the Majority Caucus appear divided over the announcement, with some calling for the reshuffle and others opposing it.
Expressing concern over the development on the Citi Breakfast Show on Citi FM, Dr. Draman criticized the NPP’s treatment of Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu.
He told show host, Bernard Avle that the party would not have faced any opposition if it had widely consulted the key stakeholders.
“Nobody can take away the involvement of political parties in selecting leaders for their caucus and for me, I am just surprised the NPP has not learned anything from what happened with the NDC’s leadership change. Why would [Osei] Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu, who has done so much for the party, our Parliament, and the country, be treated like this? If you want to change him, have a conversation with him.”
“If there were consultations and discussions within the party, we could have avoided this debacle, and they are now blaming the media for it. Who put that thing on the party’s meeting agenda? If you make a quick comparison with what happened with the NDC, it is clear that the Caucus is divided.”
He further admonished the party to prioritize unity if it wants to win the December general elections.
“What they should have done was have a meeting with the Caucus and put out reasons why there should be a change. In a conversation like that, there will certainly be people who will disagree and others who will agree, but at the end of the day, we would not have had what we are having now. If they need to break the 8, what they need is unity.”
Source: www.citinewsroom.com
