Security Analyst, Adib Saani, has indicated that the internal agitations between the leadership and the members of the New Patriotic Party, could be a doorway for something worse to come during the general election in 2024.
Speaking about the rising tensions that has been sufficing in the internal elections of the NPP, he intimated that the “level of violence” which has been displayed is really baffling. According to Adib Saani, the “level of intolerance” in the party is also something “not to write home about”.
“Absolutely, it might be a dress rehearsal for the main election. So, you can imagine if it has to do with one party against another. This is just a household issue that has been characterized with violence. In some cases there is petty confusion that has not been solved; it’s quite disturbing.”
Adib Saani
Touching on how the current issues in the party can be handled, he suggested to the party leaders to come forth to its members very clearly. According to him, resolving the issues in the party will largely depend on the ability of the leadership of the party to harness cohesion amongst party members.
“A lot of the issues has to do with mistrust, lack of confidence in the leadership and their ability to do things fairly. Some candidates feel they have not been treated fairly. Others feel they’ve disfranchised and a whole lot of other issues.”
Adib Saani
The Security Analyst advised that if the leadership of the NPP is able to address the issues in the party, it will be able to renew the confidence the members have. “I am sure the mistrust in the leadership can be resolved.”
Party has put structures in place
Meanwhile, the Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, Freddie Blay, intimated that the party has put its structures in place and believes what is happening across the country will not degenerate to an extent that the party cannot handle.
Speaking about the internal agitations in different parts of the country regarding its elections, the Party Chairman assured that what is happening in the party is not out of hands. He indicated that there is a committee responsible for ensuring there is calm.
“Quite a lot of constituencies have had problems over the elections in the various polling stations affecting those constituencies. Some have gone to court, some have come out with petitions irrespective of what is happening in the court.”
Freddie Blay
According to the Party Chairman, it would be advisable for the party to sit on the matter in-house to advice and consider the seriousness of the matter at hand. He stated that since some have strong cases, the party will also advice the various constituencies in that regard. “Maybe we could advice that this one let’s drop it. We will not endorse what has happened and we try to settle it before we take up those matters in court.”
Freddie Blay disclosed that the Committee was set up by the party to ensure that grievances of party members can be addressed rather than being taken to court. He averred that the members refusing to approach the committee with their grievances is not indicative that the party leadership has failed to address their concerns.
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