A group calling itself Coalition of Aggrieved Foot Soldiers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency of the Savannah Region
A group calling itself Coalition of Aggrieved Foot Soldiers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency of the Savannah Region have registered their displeasure to the party.
The NPP group said they wondered why the appointing authority of the ruling party has failed to turn its lenses to the constituency.
At a news conference in Yapei on September 13, the acting president of the group, Tanko Malik stated that not even a single person from the constituency since 2017 has been appointed to serve in Government a situation they described as pathetic, worrisome and demoralizing.
“Even though some of the competent, well qualified and experienced men and women in our constituency lobbied in 2017 and are still lobbying up to date, but the intelligence we have gathered so far is that they will not be appointed,” he stated.
He accuses some party big wigs of being behind the neglect.
“We are sometimes tempted to think that the marginalization, non- appreciation of our efforts and sacrifices over the years as well as the failure to reward the aggrieved senior members and foot soldiers is a calculated attempt by some influential sons and daughters of our party in Savannah region to strategically cause disaffection among the senior members and foot soldiers of our party in the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency to make it very easy for the NDC Party to win both Parliamentary and Presidential elections with huge margins,” he posited.
Tanko Malik also threatened to expose the alleged saboteurs within the party in Savannah Region.
“We will soon name and shame all those moles in our party in Savannah region in our subsequent Press conferences who are influential members of our party but secretly working for NDC party to satisfy their parochial and diabolic interest and ambitions,” he emphasised.
Find the full statement below:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE COALITION OF AGGRIEVED FOOT SOLDIERS (CAFSOL) OF THE NEW PATRIOTIC PARTY IN YAPEI-KUSAWGU CONSTITUENCY BY HON. TANKO MALIK, ACTING PRESIDENT OF CAFSOl ON MONDAY, 13TH SEPTEMBER, 2021 AT YAPEI.
We wish to convey our gratitude to you our Friends from the Press for honouring our invitation despite the short notice.
We have organised today’s Press Conference, which is our first Press Conference to share with you the marginalisations we have suffered over the years.
Allow me to begin by expressing our deepest gratitude to His Excellency, President Nana Akufo Addo for first and foremost creating Savannah region and for his government’s intentions in Savannah region in sectors such as Agriculture, Education, Healthcare, Roads and Water.
We also commend President Nana Akufo Addo for appointing the Sons of Savannah region to his government.
We congratulate the Sons of Savannah region who have been appointed by His Excellency, President Nana Akufo Addo to form his government.
We wish all of them well. Ladies and Gentlemen, many people would have thought that at least two persons in Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency would have been appointed to the current government since 2017. But unfortunately, not even a single person has since 2017 been appointed. This situation is very pathetic, worrisome and demoralizing.
Even though, some of the competent, well qualified and experienced men and women in our constituency lobbied in 2017 and are still lobbying up to date, but the intelligence we have gathered so far is that they will not be appointed. These unfair treatments of foot soldiers and the men and women who have toiled for our party for almost three decades have dire consequences for the fortunes of our party in future elections.
May we remind the leadership of our party and the appointing authority that the men and women who are being denied appointments today were the Pillars and financiers of our party when this party was in opposition for eight (8) years. During our opposition days till date, we the foot soldiers and the men and women who are now being denied appointments collectively worked harder for our party despites the persecutions (unnecessary transfers of NPP foot soldiers and dismissals) and intimidations that we suffered in the hands of our political opponents in our constituency during our opposition days.
The recent agitations by the foot soldiers and Polling Station Executives at the various Zonal venues of the recently held Annual Delegates Conference in Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency lend credence to the fact that the gallant foot soldiers and those who have labored for the party since 1992 are not happy at all.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, the President has so far appointed nine (9) Sons of Savannah region to his government. Strangely but sadly, Yapei-Kusawgu constituency and for that matter Central Gonja District has once again been denied the cake. Even though we were and are still glad that some Sons of Savannah region were appointed by the President quite recently, it is shocking, astonishing and beats our imagination that no one from Yapei-Kusawgu constituency caught the attention of the Party Leadership and the appointing authority as fit (i.e. competent, well qualified and experienced) enough to be appointed by the Party Leadership and the appointing authority.
We therefore want to inform all those who are the Conveyer belt of false information to the Presidency and the Party Head Office that all is well in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency are only deceiving themselves and the recipients of the false information.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, the questions that have been baffling our minds since 2017 to date are:
1. Don’t we (Sons and daughters of Yapei-Kusawgu constituency) have the men and women who are competent and experienced to be given appointments?
2. Is it an attempt by some influential party members of our party in our region to demoralize we the gallant foot soldiers and the entire elephant family purposely to make the elections a walk over for the NDC Parliamentary and Presidential Candidates?
3. Are our collective efforts and sacrifices over the years not appreciated by the Party Leadership and the appointing authority?
4. Are we perceived and treated as second class members of our party?
5. Why have the Party Leadership and the appointing authority forsaken us? We need to know
6. As an orphan constituency without appointees, can the DCE alone fund all the numerous party related activities in all the 172 Polling Stations in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency?
7. Must the regional cake be concentrated in a few constituencies in Savannah region while others are denied the cake?
8. How many men and women in our constituency have been empowered to fund some of the party activities at the grassroots since 2017?
9. How many foot soldiers have been employed in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency since 2017?
10. How many potential Parliamentary Candidates in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency are been groomed and empowered to contest in the next general elections? We all know that any well groomed and empowered person can win a seat that is perceived as NDC seat.
The early bird catches the worm.
11. Must members and leadership of our party in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency continue to beg for support from the favoured constituencies to fund party activities in our constituency? For how long must we continue to beg to fund party activities in our constituency?
12. Who would have believed as at January, 2017 that NPP will be able to snatch some parliamentary seats in Savannah region from NDC in the 2020 elections?
13. May we know if our party leadership has surrendered Yapei-Kusawgu constituency seat to NDC with the conviction that NPP can never win the seat? Have we forgotten so soon how Amasaman constituency (i.e. in Greater Accra region) seat tagged as NDC bonafide property was won by NPP for the first time in 2020?
14. As the ruling Party have we forgotten so soon about the slim majority we have in this 8th Parliament? It is obvious to many objective minds in our party that there is something wrong somewhere. It is also obvious that the men and women of the New Patriotic Party and the gallant foot soldiers in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency have been unfairly treated for long.
We are sometimes tempted to think that the marginalization, non- appreciation of our efforts and sacrifices over the years as well as the failure to reward the aggrieved senior members and foot soldiers is a calculated attempt by some influential sons and daughters of our party in Savannah region to strategically cause disaffection among the senior members and foot soldiers of our party in the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency to make it very easy for the NDC Party to win both Parliamentary and Presidential elections with huge margins.
We will soon name and shame all those moles in our party in Savannah region in our subsequent Press conferences who are influential members of our party but secretly working for NDC party to satisfy their parochial and diabolic interest and ambitions.
One of the issues that is demoralizing we the foot soldiers to continue to sacrifice for our party is the failure or delays of the Party Leadership and the appointing authority to reward the men and women as well as the foot soldiers in our constituency who are loyal, committed to the party and toiled for our party since 1992 with appointments. These unfair treatments have the tendency to cripple the fortunes of our party not only in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency but other constituencies in Savannah region.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we are deeply concerned especially, about the recent threats by the foot soldiers that if this matter is not handled withthe utmost urgency it deserves, most of the foot soldiers will simply advise themselves.
Friends from the Press, in making these our concerns public, we are guided by our collective agenda to break the 8 in the 2024 Presidential and Parliamentary elections. However, our collective agenda to break the 8 may be a mirage if our legitimate concerns are not addressed by Party Leadership and the appointing authority. The time to address our concerns is now. We have been patient for long and can no more be patient. We also deserve fair treatment. And we also need our share of the national cake.
It would be pathetic and politically suicidal if our great party should fail to break the 8 in 2024, not on the basis of under performance, but due to failure to address the concerns of foot soldiers and all the Key Stake holders of our party.
May I use this opportunity to appeal to all the aggrieved senior members and foot soldiers of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency, to suspend our planned massive demonstration scheduled on Tuesday 14th September, 2021 to allow our listening President, His Excellency, President Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo and leadership of our Party to address our concerns.
Fellow gallant and combat ready foot soldiers of NPP in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency and all the aggrieved senior members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency, may I assure you that the President will address our concerns very soon.
Ladies and Gentlemen, we call on His Excellency, President Nana Akufo Addo to offer the men and women of the New Patriotic Party in the Yapei-Kusawgu constituency the privilege to serve in this government. We also call on the President to offer the gallant foot soldiers of New Patriotic Party in Yapei-Kusawgu constituency jobs. Well motivated foot soldiers are always and ever ready to die for their party. Well motivated foot soldiers are always and ever ready protect the ballot boxes.
We want to assure His Excellency, President Nana Akufo Addo and our Party Leadership that when the sons and daughters as well as the gallant foot soldiers of Yapei-Kusawgu constituency are well groomed and empowered through appointments just like how some members of our party in other constituencies were well groomed and empowered before the 2020 elections, there will surely be a replica of NPP election fortunes in Damongo and Daboya constituencies in our constituency come 2024 elections.
Thank you all for coming and for your attention.
Long Live Ghana
Long Live NPP
Long live the gallant and combat ready foot soldiers of NPP
Cc:
The NPP Regional Chairman, Savannah Region
The Chairman, Regional Council of Elders of NPP, Savannah Region
The Hon. Minister of Lands and Natural Resources
The Hon. Regional Minister, Savannah Region
The Constituency Chairman, Yapei-Kusawgu Constituency
The Chairman, Constituency Council of Elders of NPP, Yapei-Kusawgu
Constituency
COMMENTS