Former Acting Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Smith Butey, has dared the party to sanction or remove him over his continued opposition to some of the constitutional amendments approved at its recent National Delegates Conference.
Mr Butey, who has challenged the changes affecting the party’s leadership and campaign structure, said he was prepared to lose his position because he believed he was defending the interests of ordinary party members.
“I am ready to be sacked because I am fighting for the right people of the party, so I don’t care about anything that they do,” he stated in an interview.
His comments come amid controversy over amendments to the NPP constitution, particularly provisions concerning the role of the party’s presidential candidate in its campaign structure.
Mr Butey maintains that he did not support the amendment process and insists that, in his capacity as Acting Chairman at the time, he rejected an attempt to alter the party’s leadership arrangements.
He explained that his mandate ahead of the National Delegates Conference was primarily to supervise the conference and ensure the election of new national executives.
“As a leader at the time, I nullified the amendment, and they can take it wherever they want,” he said.
Mr Butey further questioned the circumstances surrounding the amendment, saying he was not responsible for introducing any proposal seeking to change the party’s leadership structure.
“Even they had to make us aware because we don’t know if they had added something to the motion or not… Also, I didn’t bring any amendment during the delegate conference, so I don’t have any idea about it,” he added.
According to him, some individuals within the party’s leadership have privately approached him over the controversy and sought to apologise, but he remains unwilling to back down from his position.
He has also taken the matter to court, saying he has filed a motion challenging the amendment relating to the position of the party’s flagbearer and its leadership structure.
“I don’t want to talk about the court date, but it’s in my car, and you can come home, and I would show it to you,” Mr Butey said.
The dispute follows the NPP’s announcement ahead of its National Delegates Conference in Kumasi that 14 amendments had been approved to its constitution.
The party said the amendments were intended to strengthen its internal structures, improve administration and enhance its preparedness for elections.
Among the provisions amended were Articles 10(3), 10(3)(2) and 10(4)(2), which now provide for the party’s presidential candidate to lead the campaign structure for the presidential election.
Under the amended provisions, the presidential candidate, in consultation with the National Executive Committee, is to develop the presidential campaign structure and appoint the chairperson and other members of the National Campaign Advisory Committee, subject to approval by the National Council.
Mr Butey’s opposition, however, signals that the constitutional changes could continue to face internal resistance as the party prepares for its next electoral cycle.
