Confusion hits NDC youth wing

Fresh trouble has erupted in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) over who is in-charge of the party’s youth wing.

It follows the organizing and outdooring over the weekend of a new campaign movement mostly made up of the youth of the party under the name, ‘I Choose JM,’ on the blind side of the party’s national youth leader and his deputies.

Even though Siidi Abubakar, is the National Youth Organiser of the NDC, there are indications that his powers and control of the youth wing are being usurped by some persons who have decided to form a parallel structure to work with. The new group, sources claim, enjoys the support of some powerful forces at the Flagstaff House.

Power Play

The sources said Siidi was neither informed nor invited to the outdooring of the ‘I Choose JM’ movement which was inaugurated at the Kawukudi Park near Nima, Accra, last Saturday.

According to the sources, the movement was put together and being spearheaded by the former president of the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA), Benjamin Essuman, whose tenure was rocked with allegations of fraud; the Assistant Youth Organiser of the party in the Greater Accra Region, Edudzi Kudzo Tameklo and former Youth Organiser aspirant and former president of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Wonder Madilo, who reportedly have strong links to the presidency.

The group is mostly made up of persons who supported Ludwig Hlodze and Abigail Elorm Akwambia, who contested but lost the position of NDC National Youth Organiser to Siidi.

Initial attempts to link the members to NDC National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, have turned out to be false since he is said to have kicked against the outing of the supposed splinter group.

Most of the members of the group consider Siidi to be one of the weakest among the leadership of the NDC, comparing his visibility to that of his colleague National Youth Organiser of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sammi Awuku.

Group Disowned

On getting wind of the organizing of the outdooring event, Siidi reportedly caused one of his two deputies – James Kofi Fonu Kpatakpa – to issue a disclaimer ahead of the programme in which he indicated, “The attention of the youth wing has been drawn to a purported rally being organized by a group calling itself grass root support for JM at Kawukudi park.”

The statement proceeded to state emphatically that “The Nationl Youth Organiser, Mr Siidi Abubakar, and his two deputies, Kobby Barlon and James Kofi Foni Kpatakpa, by this notice, are informing the massive youth of the party to ignore and boycott this programme due to the fact that due processes and laid down structures of the party were not followed.”

They therefore declined to guarantee the security and protection of those who would attend the programme – probably one of the reasons why the event recorded a low patronage.

This did not seem to have gone down well with organizers of the ‘I Choose JM’ movement who subsequently hit back.

Fire For Fire

In a post on his Facebook wall, Benjamin Essuman, one of the leaders of the group, threw caution to the wind and told Siidi and his deputies, “We have noted the wild anger and disappointment of the NDC youth in a statement purported to have been released by the Deputy National Youth Organiser, Fonu Kpatapka.

“As much as we understand the basis of this high level of discontentment and condemnation of the Youth Organiser and his deputies, we appeal to the NDC youth to exercise restraint in attacking the Hon. Siidi Abubakar.”

He equally expressed grave disappointment in what he described as backstabbing of the ‘I Choose JM’ rally after a series of planning and communications with them, insisting the attempt by these party officers to disgrace President John Mahama would not succeed.

This has since stoked a serious confusion in the party, with members of the group and the youth wing of the party purportedly preparing themselves to face each other.