Although the constitution of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is not clear on sanctions for persons who conduct themselves such as those who invaded the studios of UTV, the Disciplinary Committee of the party will proffer the relevant punishment for those who attacked the subsidiary of the Despite Media Group Saturday, October 7, 2023.
This was revealed by the Director of Communications of the party, Richard Ahiagbah, on TV3’s Ghana Tonight with Alfred Ocansey Monday, October 9, 2023.
According to him, even though the NPP’s constitution is not precise on such sanctions, it is within the remit of the disciplinary committee of the party to decide what they deem fit to address this particular issue.
“Our standards have been quite clear, that acts that bring the party’s name into disrepute is not to be countenanced so, the disciplinary committee will be minded by the magnitude of what they have done and to what extent it has injured the party’s image and then arrive at the appropriate sanction for these people,” he said.
He further continued that the party has condemned the action by the party faithful and has met with the management of UTV. While the party’s disciplinary committee has been informed to take swift actions to determine if there are any sanctions to be given to the people who were engaged in such acts.
“I am pretty sure when they sit on it, they will have a look at the evidences available and give the appropriate sanction,” he added.
That notwithstanding, Mr Ahiagbah stated that the commission will have to call these individuals who were involved in such acts for further probing. He continued that since they have been identified as party and constituency executives in the Greater Accra region, the disciplinary committee will have to listen to them to know what motivated their action.
“There is no way the committee can sit without hearing from them. Even though what they have done is obvious enough. Based on the party’s constitution, there is no way the committee can sit without giving them a hearing so they will be called to explain themselves. Then the committee will take a decision from there,” he insisted.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahiagbah said the NPP has its own means of dealing with such issues, adding that the party as a human institution, should be seen as such by persons who would contribute on the issue in order not to make retrospective juxtapositions.
Meanwhile, the NPP has indicated that they are ready to assist the Ghana Police Service in investigating all 16 persons arrested for allegedly attacking the TV station. But for now, all 16 persons have been granted bail pending any investigation.
By Clara Boadi Konadu|3News
