Five National Executives of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) were on Monday arrested and detained by the Adabraka District Police Command for allegedly calling their National Chairman, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa Sarpong-Kumankumah, a thief.
The officers arrested included Yirimambo Moses Ambing, National Organiser; Emmanuel Opare Addo, National Treasurer; Nana Yaa Jantuah, General Secretary; Osei Kofi Acquah, National Youth Organiser; and Aisha Futa, National Women Organiser.
After taking their statements, the police gave the officers self recognisance bail, and to report on May 11, 2022.
The CPP national officers reported themselves at 12pm, and were released around 2pm same day.
In an interview with the media upon their release, the five arrested national executives said they accused their national chairman because she single-handedly withdrew an amount of GH ¢100,000 from the party’s account without consulting any of the national officers.
The Women Organiser of CPP, Hajia Aisha Sulley Futa, said the executives confronted their treasurer for money for party business, and were told that there was no money in the party’s account.
She said they were also aware that the Electoral Commission (EC) returned their money of GH¢100,000 after the elections, and when they enquired from their treasurer, they were told that their national chairman had cleared the money without consulting them.
“When we complained, she then accused us of calling her a thief, and has reported the matter to the police, so now that we are here, we will also make a complaint against her,” she said.
The CPP appears to be in disarray after Nana Sarpong-Kumankumah issued interdiction letters against the First National Chairman, Onzy Nkrumah; the General Secretary, Nana Yaa Akyempim Jantuah; and the National Youth Organiser, Osei Kofi Acquah.
Mr. Nkrumah, in March this year, filed a suit challenging the constitutionality of the chairman position.
The suit was on the grounds that Nana Sarpong-Kumankumah did not poll the mandatory 50 per cent +1 vote in the August 22, 2020 elections.
According to him, the chairman polled 43 per cent of the votes, making her ineligible to be declared winner of the race.
Nana Yaa Jantuah, General Secretary, quoting Article 82 of the CPP Constitution, said an elected national officer might be suspended from office by two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Central Committee (CC) if the latter deemed it fit in the supreme interest of the party to do so.
She alleged that the CC meeting that took the said decision was illegally constituted, because they did not have the numbers to constitute a quorum.
According to her, the full complement of CC was 56, and to meet the quorum, it needed 37 members.
She, however, indicated that the said meeting that took the decision had only 24 members.
“Even with that one, the Chairperson of the CPP had to swear in two members illegally to shore up the numbers, so typically they had 22 members present at the said meeting,” she said.
BY Linda Tenyah-Ayettey