3 CONDEMN ATTEMPT TO SACK KABURISE (Page 13)

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Navrongo

Three of the nine-member executive committee of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Navrongo Central Constituency in the Upper East Region have dissociated themselves from a press conference held by the Constituency Chairman, Mr Francis Allou, and the Secretary, Mr William Aduum, at which they purportedly denounced Professor John B.K. Kaburise as a member of the party.
The three, Mrs Beatrice Apuri Achuliwor, the Women’s Organiser; Mr Matthew Kampe, the Second Vice-Chairperson, and Mr Gilbert K. Abalori, the Youth Organiser, insisted that at no point in time had the executive committee met to discuss, let alone arrive at, such a decision.
“We denounce and condemn the act of Messrs Allou and Aduum. They are creating discord and factionalism within the party and bringing the party into disrepute and public ridicule. By their act, they are violent and becoming dangerous towards a member of the party who wants to exercise his democratic right of seeking public office,” the three said. 
Mrs Achuliwor, who spoke on behalf of the three at a press conference in Navrongo on Thursday, accused the constituency chairman of persistently alienating them from party activities.
“Messrs Allou and Aduum are quick in calling clandestine meetings with the MP, which they claim to be meetings of the executive committee. Some of us have never been called to those meetings because they think we speak our mind, ask so many questions to gather enough evidence before taking a decision,” she said.  
Messrs Allou and Aduum called a press conference on January 11, at Navrongo, during which they advised members of the party not to allow their opponents to infiltrate their ranks and cause disunity and disaffection among them.
They were alleged to have, among other things, denounced Prof. Kaburise’s membership of the party.
Prof. Kaburise, a former Vice-Chancellor of the University for Development Studies, has declared his intention to contest the Navrongo Central seat, which is currently occupied by Mr Joseph Kofi Adda.
Mrs Achuliwor rejected that claim, stating that Prof. Kaburise was a party member, with identification number NPPMC 0121274, and that his membership card had been signed by the general secretary of the party.
She said in April 2007, at the Catholic Social Centre in Navrongo, Professor Kaburise met the entire constituency executive to introduce himself as a party member and, therefore, questioned why some members of the executive committee should be peddling such rumours about the professor.
According to her, the former UDS vice-chancellor had met his membership responsibilities to the party and contributed meaningfully in the constituency.   
She, therefore, called on the Regional Disciplinary Committee of the party to investigate the conduct of Messrs Allou and Aduum to save the party from defeat at the 2008 polls.
Meanwhile, Mrs Achuliwor and her colleagues stated categorically their neutrality in the race for the parliamentary seat.
“We leave the personal attacks on Professor Kaburise to him, as he is capable of handling the issues raised,” they stated.