Castle To Be Probed

Obviously overwhelmed and alarmed by claims and allegations of vote buying in the party by some officials at the seat of government, the Castle, Osu, President John Evans Atta Mills last Saturday directed that the new Executive Committee of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party should probe those allegations including those against officials at the Castle. According to him, it is time Ghanaians and the NDC party distinguished what is wrong from right and therefore charged the party to investigate and get to the bottom of the allegations and condemned claims of the existence of an Atta Mills faction and other factions in the party. He explained that he is not a product of himself but a creation of the party and that anyone who claims to belong to an Atta Mills faction deceives him or herself. The NDC last Saturday started its National Delegates� Congress to elect its national executives in the Northern Regional capital, Tamale. This first major event by the party since it recaptured political power from New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the December 2008 general elections was under the theme �Fulfilling The Better Ghana Agenda.� Prior to the congress the party was inundated by acrimony and allegations of vote buying, and factionalism on the lines of the founder of the party, Jerry John Rawlings and President John Evans Atta Mills. Still when the congress was ongoing remnants of these factions could be heard on the congress grounds as supporters for various candidates openly campaigned for their favourites. Checks by the Ghanaian Observer (GO) indicated that party bigwigs prevailed on Mr. Rawlings to steer clear of making controversial statements at the congress grounds. At the Tamale West African Examination Centre, delegates of the Party were seen seated and everyone that matters in the NDC was there, where the fate of about 65 aspirants hoping to be given the mandate to steer the affairs of the party for the next four years was decided. Key players of the party at the function were President John Evans Atta Mills, Vice President John Dramani Mahama, former President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu, Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Dr. Kwabena Duffuor, Trade Minister, Ms. Hannah Tetteh, Deputy Finance and Economic Planning Minister, Fifi Kwetey, Minister of Lands and Forestry, Collins Dauda and a host of other ministers of state and their deputies. The crowd that gathered at the Tamale West African Examination Centre was simply beyond description donning attire with their party colours of red, while, green and black amidst drumming and dancing. Within the congress hall itself, all was calm and proceedings began peacefully, with President Mills, vice President Mahama, General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Chairman Dr. Kwabena Adjei, Majority Leader Alban Bagbin, Mr. Rawlings and wife Nana Konadu, all sharing the front row of the high table. Security was very tight and delegates, journalists and observers needed to go through thorough security checks to access the main venue. The NDC delegates representing various constituencies around the country were there in their numbers, while other political parties and the diplomatic corps were represented. Solidarity messages from the Convention People�s Party and the Communist Party of China were received, as well as messages from the NDC branches abroad.