Afoko, Jake To Meet Wednesday

Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, the immediate past National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party, has said he will be meeting with the newly, elected National Chairman of the party, Mr Paul Afoko, tomorrow to have a chat and discuss party matters informally with him. Speaking in a telephone interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, Mr Obetsebi Lamptey, who sounded hale and hearty, promised �I will work hand-in-hand with Mr Afoko to ensure NPP�s success in the 2016 elections.� According to the outgone national chairman, the NPP was a major part of his life and that he would work with Mr Afoko to ensure the wellbeing of the party. He, therefore, urged members, supporters and sympathisers of the party to support the newly-elected executive for victory in the 2016 elections. Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey and almost all his executive memebers lost their re-election bid when delegates convincingly voted for Mr Afoko and other contenders for a new set of executive at the party�s national delegates conference at the Tamale Sports Stadium Last Saturday. The only survivor in the Jake Obetsebi Lamptey-led administration, Madam Otiko Afisa Djaba, faced very stiff opposition to suggest that delegates were not satisfied with their work. Afoko deserves chairmanship On his impression about the newly-elected chairman of the NPP, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey declared, � I will give Mr Afoko the credit for achieving what he has done; He deserves to win and deserves the chairmanship because his hard work during the campaign period paid off very well .� He counselled members of the NPP to consider the victory of Mr Afoko as victory for the party arguing that, �it is the delegates who have gone and chosen this new crop of executive and hopefully, they have chosen wisely as they have always done.� He, however, urged Mr Afoko and the new national executive not to breach the trust the party delegates had reposed in them. Advice He cautioned the newly elected chairman and his executive to limit the level of tolerance since in his view �over tolerance can impede plans and vision.� �One of the criticisms against me was that I was too tolerant of views that were being improperly expressed, and that I should have cracked the whip a little bit more than I did," he told the Daily Graphic when he recalled some of his shortfalls. He said while patience and tolerance were good virtues, over indulgence could hinder progress and effectiveness in a mass political organisation such as the New Patriotic Party. Taking time off On his future role in the NPP and national politics, he said, �I will take some time off and rest.� He, however, stressed that he was not in �pains� after his crushing defeat, but needed a good rest at this stage to reflect and possibly write a book. In spite of the hard-to-believe 66 votes he garnered at the conference, Mr Obetsebi- Lamptey explained that seeking to serve the NPP in the capacity as national chairman was like �a job application which I offered myself: I was not accepted: I am disappointed, but I move on. I don�t feel like Jake is a human being who has been rejected, so there is no pain for me.�