I don’t recognise Freddie Blay as chairman – Crabbe

New Patriotic Party (NPP) second vice chairman Sammy Crabbe has categorically stated he does not recognise Freddie Blay as the acting chairman of the party following the suspension of Paul Afoko as national chairman.

“No, no, no I don’t see him [Blay] as chairman and if he convenes a meeting I’m not going. If I do next time, you’ll be asking me to recognise a coup d’état. I can’t just accept that. I don’t fear. I’m courageous,” Crabbe stressed.

Crabbe is on record to have said the party must respect the decision of its delegates during the Tamale Congress, which voted Afoko’s administration into power.

The National Executive Committee of the NPP has suspended Afoko indefinitely for allegedly acting against the fortunes of the party ahead of the 2016 elections.

Crabbe said the suspension is a recipe for chaos.

“It’s going to leave serious problems within the party because people have realised that all you have to do is to walk to a body, make a petition which doesn’t have to be followed and make a lot of noise and you’re going to get it.

“It is going to affect the New Patriotic Party (NPP)… I disagree with our flagbearer on this issue and I don’t think it’s a crime and I don’t think it should warrant anybody going out there asking for my head and I hope it doesn’t go that way anyway. I have a very thick neck and it’s very difficult to cut, so I’ll survive,” Crabbe told Joy FM’s Kwakye Afreh-Nuamah, Wednesday.

According to him, he will not contest any position of the party again if “this is allowed to hold.”

He said: “I don’t have any guarantees. Why should I go through the expense and the risk of trying to get into office just for the laws to be broken?”

Afoko has since petitioned the National Council of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition over his suspension and has threatened to go to court over the issue.