The acting Chairman of Ghana's leading opposition, the New Patriotic Party (NPP), says the John Mahama-led government in cahoots with his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and is responsible for recent acts of internal confusion within the NPP.
The NPP Chairman, Mr. Freddie Blay, says the government has set up a slush fund with the sole purpose of fomenting trouble in the NPP and to destroy the party’s image ahead of general elections next year.
According to Mr. Blay, President Mahama has performed abysmally and has thus resorted to using covert tactics to dent the NPP's image in order to mask his own incompetence. “To the ruling NDC, creating confusion in the NPP is a more competent and convenient way to gain electoral advantage than fixing the myriad of problems they have visited on the country. We are aware of the tens of millions of Ghana Cedis in slush funds dedicated to this special project,” he said.
He said the NPP has uncovered evidence of the President sanctioning the formation of a team, supported by elements in the National Security apparatus, tasked with the job of destabilizing the NPP and sowing seeds of discord within its ranks.
Speaking to the press at party headquarters in Accra, Mr. Blay who is acting in the absence of suspended national chairman Paul Afoko said last week's dawn raid on their headquarters is a case in point.
He added that the NPP leadership has received intelligence reports concerning of individuals “including two heads of important organizations, whose job it is to fund and fuel this evil plot.”
With roughly a year to the general elections the NPP is beginning to show cracks and signs of division in the party. In May, Adams Akalbila Mahama, a regional chairman of the party was killed when a group of assailants poured acid on him. The incident was attributed to internal party wrangling in which party chairman Paul Afoko was fingered.
Early this month, another party member was stabbed in yet another intra-party disagreement. Chairman Afoko's name came up again, leading to his indefinite suspension from the party.
Last week, a group of young men believed to be party members aligned with suspended chairman Afoko raided the party headquarters destroying property.
Meanwhile, a group in the NPP has vowed not to acknowledge Freddy Blay as the new national chairman. They say Paul Afoko is still the democratically elected national chairman and that the party should not count on their cooperation come Election 2016 if he is not reinstated.