NPP’s Sir John is dead
Former General Secretary of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, also known as Sir John, has passed away.
The death of the CEO of the Forestry Commission is linked to the novel coronavirus that has killed some 117 people in Ghana.
He died in Accra on Wednesday, July 1 while receiving treatment at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Sir John was a lawyer who served the governing party in different capacities and represented the NPP as the General Secretary from 2010 to 2014.
He is remembered for the quote, “Fear delegates”.
Sir John made the comments after he lost the support of the delegates of the party to retain his position as General Secretary.
In July 2013, Sir John was summoned to the Supreme Court of Ghana because he had made some potentially contemptuous comments.
He had criticised the Court for its actions in a criminal contempt case involving the NPP’s Sammy Awuku and had implied that the justices’ continuous mention of public radio discussions on cases that were before the court was a ploy by the court to curtail people from expressing themselves.
Upon appearing before the court, his counsel, Ayikoi Otoo, pleaded with the court to be lenient and declared that his client had pleaded guilty to the charge.
The Peace Council also offered a plea on Afriyie’s behalf to the court.
After a brief trial, Afriyie was fined GHC 5000 cedis or, if he defaulted on payment, a six-month prison term.
He was made to sign a bond of good behaviour and retract his comments. He was also instructed to apologise to the bench within 24 hours on the same platform he had used to criticise the court.
Sir John attended the University of Ghana and the Ghana School of Law and started practising as a lawyer in 1981.
During the tenure of former President John Agyekum Kufour, he was appointed head of legal services at the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC)
He was later made to act as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer of the GNPC.
Some notable NPP personalities have shared tributes on social media:
The news of your demise is a bitter pill to swallow. R.I.P with your creator, Sir John, till the resurrection dawn when we shall meet our Lord Jesus Christ face to face.