A group calling itself the Ashanti Youth Caucus (AYC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is appealing to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to consider former General Secretary of the party Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie affectionately called Sir John for a position in his government.
The group said it was disappointed when it turned out that Sir John was not appointed as Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as reported by a section of the media indicating that it is incumbent on the president to consider him in his administration.
“Sir John, we will all recall, risked losing his freedom in defence of Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP in 2013, during the Supreme Court petition that followed the previous year’s general election.
This leader of our party was subjected to a great deal of derision and personal humiliation, live on national television. His reputation was publicly tarnished and his qualification as a lawyer, needlessly called to question.
Even after all this embarrassment, Sir john stood steadfastly behind Nana Akufo Addo. He will not give in to claims from within the party for replacing Nana Akufo Addo as the presidential candidate of the party for 2016.
More than any other person, he led the charge for retaining Nana Akufo Addo for a third go at the presidency, and as fate will have it, Nana Akufo Addo is today our distinguished president, much to Sir john’s credit”
Read full text of a release from the group below
We the members of the Ashanti Youth Caucus (AYC) of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), were excited by recent news reports of the appointment of a stalwart of the great elephant family, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly known as Sir John, as Director General of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA).
Our excitement, however, was soon snuffed out by subsequent reports that one way or the other, his appointment had been rescinded. Other reports claimed he was merely considered for the position and was never actually confirmed.
Wherever lies the real truth about his appointment – or more accurately, the lack thereof – it remains certain that the former General Secretary of the NPP, who served his party faithfully and competently, and who consistently demonstrated his singularly unmatched loyalty to then candidate Nana Akufo Addo, now president, has not assumed post at the GPHA nor has he been appointed to another post.
Sir john, we will all recall, risked losing his freedom in defence of Nana Akufo Addo and the NPP in 2013, during the time of the hearing of the court petition that followed the previous year’s general election.
This leader of our party was subjected to a great deal of derision and personal humiliation, live on national television. His reputation was publicly tarnished and his qualification as a lawyer, needlessly called to question.
Even after all this embarrassment, Sir john stood steadfastly behind Nana Akufo Addo.
He will not give in to claims from within the party for replacing Nana Akufo Addo as the presidential candidate of the party for 2016.
More than any other person, he led the charge for retaining Nana Akufo Addo for a third go at the presidency, and as fate will have it, Nana Akufo Addo is today our distinguished president, much to Sir john’s credit.
Against party rules, Sir john, as a then national officer of our party publicly declared his support for Nana Akufo Addo’s candidacy.
He is credited with having said in September of 2013 that, “Akufo-Addo would contest the 2016 presidential elections come what may even if he is sitting in a wheelchair”, proof, if proof were needed, of his love, confident in, and adoration for Nana Akufo Addo.
Indeed, this blind loyalty and devotion to Nana Akufo Addo may very well have resulted in his personal loss as General Secretary of the NPP in 2014.
Sir John deserves to be rewarded for his loyalty.
He served the NPP faithfully as General Secretary and singularly won Nana Akufo Addo lots of fans and followers; contributing massively to his popularity and resultant resounding victory in 2016.
He cannot be ignored. He cannot be treated with disregard.
We do not want to believe the rumours that he is being sabotaged by persons close to the president.
He has proven, through the many years of service to the party, that he deserves an important appointment in this Nana Akufo Addo administration. So, we ask that, with haste, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie should be appointed to serve our country, Ghana.
Alhaji Kassim
(AYC) Coordinator
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