JAKE WADES IN TO RECONCILE ABLEKUMA SOUTH NPP

An elder of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), a
presidential hopeful and Minister for Tourism and
Diasporan Relations, Mr Jake Okanta Obetsebi Lamptey,
has said, he can not sit ideal and watch rank and file
of his party members disintegrating.
That he said, could thwart his bid to secure
presidential nomination at their party's impending
congress and make mockery of his ambition to lead the
party to win the 2008 elections.
Mr Obetsebi Lamptey said this when he paid a surprised
visit yesterday evening (Monday, 21/05) to the
Ablekuma South Constituency members of the party at
their general meeting held at the party's old Ama
Badua Road office in Korle-Gonno.
“A house that is divided against itself can not
stand,” he told the executives and the large crowd of
party members and supporters that had gathered.
Mr Obetsebi Lamptey said, one important thing that the
NPP as a family must cherish is, “a united and focused
front,” adding that in any misunderstanding between
two fraternal groups, there is a three dimension
stance, which he named as “my side, your side and the
truth.”
He told the party faithfuls that he could not lead a
divided people and warned them not to do things that
would take the party back into opposition.
He said he was aware of recent happenings in the
Ablekuma South Constituency that has created factions
among them and reminded the party members of similar
issue that occurred at the Odododiodoo and Dadekotopon
Constituencies in 2004, which led to the party's
defeat in those constituencies and cautioned both
sides of the faction, to take a cue from that.
“If people don't want to reconcile then they don't
want to win,” Mr Obetsebi Lamptey told the executive
members and added that “as an elder of the party, I
want to do all that I can to bring both side
together,” he remarked, to the applause of the
executives and supporters of the party.
On his part, the Chairman of the Ablekuma South
Constituency of the party, Mr William Akakpo said, the
NPP as a party, is greater than any individual
member's ambition. "It, therefore, behooves all party
faithfuls to conduct themselves in a manner that will
bring unity and success to the party," the chairman
urged.
He said, a party's strength is in numbers and that it
is only in numbers, that the NPP can achieve
overwhelming victory at the 2008 elections. "We
therefore, welcome any initiative, that will unite the
party than divide it," Mr Akakpo emphasised and added
that, "those that have faulted themselves of the
party's constitution, should recognise that and
apologise,” which remarks drew the applause of all
party members and supporters.
As Mr Jake Obetsebi Lamptey met with majority of party
members at their old Ama Bedua Office in Korle-Gonno
where the party now holds its weekly and general
meetings, Ms Theresa Tagoe (MP), for the constituency,
also chaired a meeting at the Plaza office with a few
broke-away faction of constituency members.
It would be recalled that the party's constituency
office was recently vandalised following refusal by
the national executives to grant the request of the
polling station executives to dismiss the constituency
executives on grounds of incompetence.
Ms Tagoe, has denied allegation that she slapped the
constituency chairman of the party, Mr William Akakpo,
with her shoes and injured him. She has also denied,
having locked the constituency's office near Plaza,
because she and not the party paid the rent.