The National Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP, Sammy Awuku has called for a stoppage to the growing and worrying trend of supporters turning funerals into campaign grounds for flagbearership hopefuls of the party.
He said the phenomenon tends to deepen cracks and create irreparable damage to the party ahead of the 2024 general election.
Sammy Awuku said this Saturday, July 17, 2021, in Koforidua Eastern, the Regional capital during the inauguration of the “NPP Constituency officer’s welfare”
“There is a growing trend that as Constituency Chairmen we have to be very tough on it. Whoever is a beneficiary or victim, we just have to put our foot on the ground. There is a growing sense and strategy of turning funerals into campaigning grounds for would-be Presidential candidates. As much as possible, the Constituencies are expected to preserve the unity of the party. When it turns that because you are active constituency executives, you pray the ostrich, stand aside but send our youth Organizers to mobilize people to cheer Mr. A or Mr. B. Chairmen, they make your work difficult”.
Supporters of the Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia are notorious for mobilizing and cheering him at funerals.
A recent incident is when a group calling itself Friends of Bawumia for 2024 stormed the funeral ground for the father of Gabby Okyere Darko in Koforidua on July 3, 2021, to cheer the Vice President with appellations while his political rival Alan Kyeremateng was present at the funeral grounds.
Sammy Awuku cautioned that “If we are not careful with the internal primaries and party discipline, we may end up breaking ourselves before breaking the 8. President Kufuor’s statement still resonates in our ears, it is better to be a messenger in a party in government than to be a General Secretary for a party in opposition”
He hinted that the polling station elections, as well as Constituency level and Regional elections, will begin this year. Then the national delegate conference will continue before the election of flagbearer not less than eleven months to the 2024 Election.
Source: Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah