NPP National Council rejects Chairman Freddie Blay as speaker of parliament

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To think that the man, who twice won the New Patriotic Party (NPP) elections, will be rejected by the National Council was unimaginable.

But that is the lot of Freddie Blay, the National Chairman of the NPP.

Report from the party’s meeting held on Monday, January 4, 2020; reveal that the NPP National Council rejected him, preferring Prof. Mike Ocquaye, aged 76.

Mr Blay, age 70, had been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle in the Western Region on four occasions on the ticket of the Convention People’s Party (CPP).

He was in the first Parliament of the Fourth Republic, as the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament to the venerable Justice Francis Annan.

Under Peter Ala Adjetey, he served as First Deputy Speaker and maintained the position under Begyina Sekyi-Hughes, until he was booted out of Parliament by the people of his constituency when he visibly sided with the NPP doing the kangaroo dance of the NPP in 2008.

The publisher of the Daily Guide newspaper, was replaced with Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah.

Freddie Blay, later joined the NPP officially and rose to be first Vice Chairman of the party, serving under Paul Afoko.

Following the suspension of Paul Afoko, Sammy Crabbe, Kwabena Agyapong, Wereko Brobby, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho Tamakloe and others by the same NPP Council for actions inimical to the party, Freddie Blay became acting National Chairman until the NPP won the 2016 election.

He was later voted and made substantive National Chairman at the NPP National Delegates Conference in Koforidua, Eastern Region.

But despite his work which earned the party the 2020 election, albeit, disputed, Freddie Blay, has not earned his place in the NPP.

On Metro TV, today, Wednesday, January 6, 2021, Eugene Boakye Antwi, who is a Deputy Minister of Ministry of Works and Housing, and an MP for Subin Constituency in the Ashanti Region, refused to say why the NPP National Chairman was rejected by the NPP National Council.

On the show with ace journalist Kwesi Pratt, the Editor of the Insight newspaper, insisted Eugene Boakye Antwi announced he is voting for Mike Ocquaye as the Speaker of Parliament.

He countered on his experience for the last four years, insisting he was the best man for the job.

A worried Mr Pratt, disclosed watching a video, showing Mike Ocquare, who looked weak and fray for the job.

He said he was aware that the speaker had several times had to be assisted to walk and perform other functions.

To him, Mike Ocquare sits for only one hour most times and hands over the Parliamentary proceedings to the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joseph Osei-Owusu, the NPP MP for Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, and insisted that if experience was the yardstick, Mr Osei-Owusu, was a better replacement for the weak-looking Mike Ocquaye.

But Eugene Boakye Antwi, countered that, despite Prof. Ocquaye frailness, he was very lucid and capable for the job.

For now, it is clear that two persons who have sacrificed for the NPP; Freddie Blay and Justice Dotse of the Supreme Court, have come to the end of their political careers.