NDC Boils Over Saturday’s Congress

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) seems to be boiling over many contending issues as it struggles to mend broken hearts, with barely a day to go for its national delegates congress.

This morning, an Accra High Court will hear an application for an injunction on the congress.

Although there are behind the scenes moves to resolve the matter, the court case has cast a shadow of uncertainty on Saturday’s congress.

Court action

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Afram Plains North, Mr Emmanuel Aboagye Didiaye, who is a national organiser aspirant, went to court because of what he described as an orchestrated attempt to disqualify him from the contest.

He was one of six persons cited by the party’s General Secretary, Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, as withdrawing from the December 20 congress of the party to elect its national executive.

Mr Didiaye, however, rejected the claim after his name and photograph were not included in the national organiser ballot.

Fortunately, Mr Yaw Osei Gyamfi, another applicant who filed a suit at the Accra High court last Monday seeking to block Mr Kofi Adams from contesting for the national organiser slot, has withdrawn the case.

A lawyer for the NDC, Mr Samuel Cudjoe, who confirmed the development, said, the applicant had withdrawn the case “without liberties to reapply”.

The development means the deputy general secretary of the NDC can go ahead and contest in Saturday’s elections in Kumasi for the position of national organiser. He is contesting the incumbent, Yaw Boateng Gyan.

Keen contest

Notwithstanding these developments, the social relations existing among some leading members of the party is worrying.

There is so much suspicion among some leading party functionaries that political watchers have concluded a fierce contest in all positions from the national chairman, to the vice, general secretary and the two deputies as well as the national organiser.

Abodakpi charges

Already, a national chairman aspirant, Mr Daniel Abodakpi, has launched an “operation vote-against-incumbent-national executives seeking re-election in the party’s National Delegates Congress in Kumasi”.

Mr Abodakpi believes it is the collective failure of the incumbent national executive that has brought serious despondency in the party at the grassroots. “This current executive has no moral right to seek re-election; if they are retained, the NDC will go down the hill,” he warned.

Most members in the current national executive are seeking to retain their positions and this has made the campaigning murky.

Two incumbent Vice Chairmen, Alhaji Huudu Yahaya and Kofi Portuphy, as well as Mr Abodakpi are challenging the incumbent Dr Kwabena Adjei for the party’s top position. Dr Adjei is seeking to retain his position for the third consecutive time.

General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, his two Deputies, Kofi Adams and Mr George Lawson, as well as the National Organiser, Yaw Boateng Gyan, are all jostling one another for positions.

However, the former Trades Minister and High Commissioner to Malaysia, in an interview on Asempa FM last Tuesday, still insisted that a total overhaul of the current executive would ensure a landslide victory for the NDC in 2016.

Money to influence votes

Meanwhile, party National Chairman, Dr Adjei, has raised concerns about attempts by some influential persons in the party to use money to influence the votes of delegates.

According to Dr Adjei, “experiences from the recently held regional conferences foretell the undemocratic behaviours likely to characterise the forthcoming Kumasi congress.”

In a statement, he said the trend is anticipated to be even worse than what happened in Koforidua in 2005 “if what I pick from the grapevine has any atom of truth.”

“It is also rumoured that some party members who do not contribute a pesewa to the party for its grassroots operations have amassed so much money which they intend to use to influence the election of their favourites at the national congress,” he asserted.

His fear was that, “it has the potential of annihilating great NDC within the shortest possible time.”

“Whosoever in his or her desperation for power is orchestrating these alleged diabolical plans is making a fatal political mistake and should desist from actualizing it in the supreme interest of the party and state,” he noted.

JJ stoking fire?

In a related development, Dr Adjei has opined that the Founder of the NDC, former President Jerry Rawlings, may be losing respect within the party for his open declaration of support for his spokesperson, Kofi Adams.

Mr Rawlings, in November, said the NDC needed people such as his spokesperson to help the party regain its “lost integrity”.

“I wish I could keep him with me for us to do a lot of work together, but I think the party needs him more than I do. My integrity is still intact, it is the party that has lost its integrity or some members and leaders that require some people like Kofi to go and increase the quality,” he said.

Apart from vouching for the integrity of his spokesperson, Mr Rawlings has also urged delegates to overhaul the entire leadership of the party.

However, one person whose decision to vie for a position again in the national executive of the NDC has widely invoked the question of trust is Mr Kofi Adams.

Mr Adams was for sometime asked to step aside as a national executive of the NDC when a said secret tape with his alleged voice was heard telling NPP’s Mr Gabby Asare Otchere Darko in effect that he was ready to do everything within his power in helping the NPP to come to power in the 2012 elections.

It is again a fact that Mr Kofi Adams was reinstated after sometime, following inconclusive investigations into the authenticity of the voices on the said secret tape due to lack of technological know-how.

Dr Adjei also told Starr FM in an interview that the former President should have remained neutral and served as a father figure for all the contestants.

As the campaign for the National chairman position heats up, the health of the incumbent chairman has become a major issue.

However, Dr Agyei has rubbished speculations about his ill health, describing them as unfortunate.

His contenders argue that Dr Adjei is not physically fit to run the affairs of the party to seek a third term in office.

But speaking to Starr News, Dr Adjei said he was physically fit and ready to win power for the ruling party for the third consecutive time.

Source: Daily Graphic