NDC Is Being Too Complacent Says Aspiring National Chair Asamoah Tutu

A little over a year after winning the General Elections and regaining political power, an aspiring National Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Asamoah Tutu, is accusing the party hierarchy of impunity and complacency. And Dr. Tutu contends that if the situation is allowed to go unchecked, the party could be surprised in the 2012 elections. �I want to help rebuild the party and win the elections for 2012�I say this because there is complacency in the party as at now at the Head office. The foot soldiers are ready, the constituencies are ready, but the hierarchy is complacent. If you�re complacent, you�ll be taken by surprise at 2012. That is why I�ve come to rebuild the party, to strengthen communication between the branches and constituencies,� he offered. Speaking in an interview with Tweneboah Koduah (TK), host of PEACEFM�s flagship programme, �Kokrokoo�, the aspiring National Chairman of the NDC said, his justification for accusing those at the headquarters of complacency, is borne out of the fact that there is apparent breakdown of proper communication channels within the party. According to him, issues that could have been easily handled at even the Regional level were now being sent directly to the Castle or to the party�s Founder, Mr. Rawlings for redress. �You�re aware that some time past�.there were complaints from the foot soldiers through their Constituency Chairmen, and they had to march from the ground right up to the Castle. Such a thing should not have happened,� he said. He pointed out that �it should only ceased at the Regional level if there were proper communication channels, and the Regional level will pick it up with the hierarchy at the party headquarters and these things will be resolved,� he argued. �But they went ahead to the President and went also to see the Founder. Where is the party to fix all these things? In addition to that, most of the headquarters members have gone into government. They have no time to do party affairs again. These are the main reasons why I�m coming out to become the (National) Chairman,� he explained. Sounding rather buoyant, Dr. Tutu stressed that by the climax of National Delegates Conference this weekend in Tamale, the NDC will have a new National Chairman in the person of himself. He dismissed assertions by the current executives that their strategy helped in securing victory for the party during the 2008 elections, insisting that everyone, including himself, played a pivotal role to ensure victory for the NDC. �My trump card is that I�m a very experienced party man. I�ve been a PNDC Secretary�I�m also a founder of the party in my constituency in the Volta Region� I know how to administer, I know how to communicate with the people, I know how to democratically get issues resolved and move from there�I respect what they did in winning back power. But we all took part�I didn�t spend Christmas last two years. We were also active. So it�s all of us�. And if he�s a hero for winning the elections in 2008, they should sit back and we shall do the work now,� Dr. Asamoah Tutu stated. However, that claim of being a party man is widely disputed by another NDC stalwart. Yaw Boateng Gyan, a Presidential Staffer and current Deputy National Organiser of the NDC, who is running unopposed for the position for National Organiser, says Dr. Asamoah Tutu is unknown in the party and cannot even identify most of the current Executives, especially himself (Yaw Gyan), though he claims to have worked hard with them in the Volta Region. He strongly asserts that at the end of the day, Dr. Kwabena Adjei and Johnson Asiedu Nketia, would still remain as National Chairman and General Secretary respectively. �Yesterday, I met this same man. And can you believe that, I, Yaw Gyan, who travelled the length and breadth of the country with Prof Mills, TK, this man couldn�t make me out? He doesn�t know me�much more the foot soldiers he talking about�.Sometimes in campaigning for certain positions, lots of claims are made�but when the d-day arrives, the delegates will vote for whoever they believe is a true party man. And if they feel that after leading the NDC back into power in 2008, Dr. Kwabena Adjei doesn�t deserve to be their National Chairman again, well, that�s their cup of tea�..But know that NDC Delegates always reward hard work�At the end of the Conference, Dr. Kwabena Adjei will win, Asiedu Nketia will also retain his General Secretaryship position,� he guaranteed.