NDC Party, Gov�t To Meet

Two top officials Of The National Democratic Congress (NDC) (names withheld) have told The Enquirer newspaper that the party has agreed in principle to meet with the presidency in earnest to settle all squabbles. According to the two, the meeting was necessitated by Mr. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin�s outburst against President John Dramani Mahama and the manner a Presidential Staffer, Mr. Stan Dogbe, responded to what the former Majority Leader said. The two senior party officials, who spoke to The Enquirer at the NDC party headquarters, on condition of anonymity, said that the meeting, likely to come off later this week, has nothing to do with the committee Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia announced had been formed to look into the matter. Mr. Nketia, while calling for a truce on an Accra-based radio station, said that a committee had been set up to go into what the former minister said. But the two top officials of the NDC told The Enquirer that the party and government should not wait for things to get out of hand before reacting. The two top officials told The Enquirer the meeting will involve all the top shots of the party and ministers. Mr. Bagbin hit town to claim that he was frustrated with how President Mahama was running the show as President. The former Majority Leader was virtually not happy with the manner the President was dealing with perceived corruption. The issue has raised the political temperature within the NDC, with heavy weights sharing divergent views on what had gone on the last three days. In fact, President Mahama, uncharacteristic of him, responded to Mr. Bagbin in a subtle manner. But the senior NDC officials told The Enquirer that the meeting will be held in an atmosphere devoid of acrimony and rancor. Already, Dr. Clement Apaak, a Presidential Staffer, had indicated elsewhere that he was ready to facilitate a meeting between the President and Mr. Bagbin. Dr. Apaak said that the President, in spite of his very tight schedule, makes time to meet people �so the one between the two would be highly possible.� Mr. Bagbin is on record to have done similar public bashing to the late President J.E.A Mills. At that time, the late President had not offered him a ministerial appointment. Surprisingly, he (Mr. Bagbin)after getting a ministerial appointment, turned round to tell the Founder of the NDC, ex-president J.J Rawlings, to shut up when he complained about certain happenings within the government at the time. The Eastern Region NDC last three days lashed out at the former minister over his utterances. It described as untenable, the public utterance of the Member of Parliament for Nadowli-Kaleo, expressing disappointment in the President, John Dramani Mahama over his inability to fight corruption. According to the party, the president has in recent times demonstrated his resolve to fight corrupt practices in his government, urging the Legislature, the Christians Council, the Police, Judiciary and all civil society organizations to complement the efforts of the president. In that statement, Bismark Tawiah Boateng, the regional organizer of the party said, Mr. Bagbin, in all his public outcry, has failed to point out publicly the corrupt practices that took place in previous administration. �Here is a president who is fighting corruption and Hon. Alban Bagbin has problem with? When ex-president Kufuor publicly said corruption stated from Adam, he didn�t have any problem with that. We are throwing a challenge to the former majority leader to name any official in president Mahama�s government who has been held for corruption.� The statement further noted that the public utterance by the Nadowli MP is a clandestine move to have him appointed to a high office in the present government.