To avoid the catastrophic 2008 defeat, refrain from publicly endorsing candidates — E/R NPP warn Communicators

In line with the several warnings from the national executives of the ruling NPP to its members to refrain from publicly declaring support for presidential and parliamentary hopefuls, the Eastern regional executives have warned its communicators.

In a press statement issued and copied to Modernghana News by Evans Osei Yeboah, the party's Eastern regional Communications Director, on Thursday, August 18, it noted, “it must be emphasized that Communicators are forbidden from leveraging on the media space offered them by virtue of their status in the party to endorse or propagate or advance the interest whatsoever of any Parliamentary or Presidential hopeful."

It added, “Grassroot Communicators, in particular, should desist from the practice of calling into radio/TV programs to show their biases for or against a Parliamentary or Presidential hopeful.”

The statement stressed, “Communicators should, at all times, be guided by the unfortunate internal wrangling that caused deep divisions within the rank and file of the party leading to the catastrophic defeat of the NPP in the 2008 general elections, and take deliberate steps to avoid the glaring pitfalls that can compromise our electoral fortunes in 2024.”

These cautions are heightened following the ethnocentric comment made against the party’s Northerners by Hopeson Yaovi Adorye, NPP's one-time parliamentary candidate for the Kpone-Katamanso constituency,

He made the statement on Saturday, August 13, during a health walk in Kumasi dubbed "Aduru Wo so" by a team identified to be loyalists of Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen, the Minister for Trade and Industry.

Read full statement below:

E/R NPP CAUTIONS COMMUNICATORS AGAINST ENDORSING PARLIAMENTARY AND PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS

Following the explicit directives from the National Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) forbidding party executives and government appointees from endorsing Parliamentary and Presidential Hopefuls as contained in a press release dated August 5, 2022, under the hand of the General Secretary, the leadership of the party in the Eastern Region has directed that TV/ Radio and Grassroot Communicators should, in turn, religiously adhere to the aforementioned directives.

It must be emphasized that Communicators are forbidden from leveraging on the media space offered them by virtue of their status in the party to endorse or propagate or advance the interest whatsoever of any Parliamentary or Presidential hopeful. Grassroot Communicators in particular should desist from the practice of calling into radio/TV programs to show their biases for or against a Parliamentary or Presidential hopeful.

Any act within the media space, plain or obscure, direct or indirect, that seeks to advance the interest or make known the intentions or broadcast the message of a Parliamentary or Presidential hopeful shall be deemed as an affront to the directives of the National Executives and crass violation of Articles 2(3) and 2(4) of the Party’s Constitution which border on Code of Conduct. Such violations shall attract huge consequences and sanctions as intimated by the National Executives of the party.

Communicators should, at all times, be guided by the unfortunate internal wrangling that caused deep divisions within the rank and file of the party leading to the catastrophic defeat of the NPP in the 2008 general elections, and take deliberate steps to avoid the glaring pitfalls that can compromise our electoral fortunes in 2024.

We therefore admonishes Communicators to restrict their contributions within the media space to issues that engender unity in the party and more importantly, spend quality time on propagating the unparalleled achievements of the NPP government.

It’s trite that issues bordering on our internal elections, both Parliamentary and Presidential primaries, will come up for discussion in the media; however, Communicators should, every step of the way, avoid choosing sides.

The Regional Leadership is confident that Communicators will commit themselves to working with these directives to promote peace, tranquillity and unity in the party.

Thank you.

…Signed…

Evans Osei Yeboah TSOOBOI

(ER Communications Director, NPP)