Congress to tilt power in favour of Rawlings’ camp

The outcome of Saturday's National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Delegates' Congress may strengthen the power base of the founder of the party, former President Jerry John Rawlings, who seems to have lost the soul of the NDC after the decamping of his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, from the governing party to form the National Democratic Party (NDP).

The NDC power structure will tilt in favour of the Rawlings camp as Kofi Portuphy, a National Co-ordinator for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), who is gunning for party chairman, and Kofi Adams, who is contesting to become the National Organiser, may sweep the ballots at the congress in the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi, the heartland of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP). Also, George Lawson, who has coalesced his electoral forces with the Rawlings camp, is in to retain his position as Deputy General Secretary.


But the upswing of the Rawlings campers will not augur well for NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah who is an ally of current party National Organiser Yaw Boateng Gyan, who may lose, and current chairman Dr Kwabena Adjei, who may spring a surprise to retain his post. Abdallah Ishaq Farrakhan of the Obuasi Constituency is challenging Asiedu Nketiah's incumbency, but he will whip him squarely and massively. Nketiah, whose thin physical frame and ballistic utterances earned him the sobriquet 'General Mosquito,' is reported to have vowed to resign when Portuphy and Adams win.


When the dust settles post-congress, the NDC will not be the same in terms of the power and influence architecture of the party. The Rawlings axis, the Atta Mills-Ahwoi faction and the John Mahama bloc will have to do soul-searching to unite if the party wants to garner victory in the 2016 elections. Failure to unite may witness defections, disunity and disgruntlement, leading to a weak NDC going into the next polls with a trepidation about letting go power to the NPP.

The underdog contestants for the chair slot are Dan Abodakpi, a former Minister of Trade and Industry and ambassador to Malaysia, and Alhaji Huudu Yahya, a Vice Chairperson and former General Secretary. Other heatedly contested positions are the vice chair which Harry Zakkour, an entrepreneur and sports administrator, Alhaji Said Sinare, Ghana's ambassador to Egypt and former Vice-chair, and Anita Desosoo, immediate past women's organiser, Betty Mould Iddrisu and J. R. D Cobinna.


The well-known contestants are Kojo Adu Asare, the immediate past Member of Parliament for Adentan and presidential staffer, who wants to be deputy General Secretary, and Koku Anyidoho, the Communications Director at the Presidency in late President Atta Mills, who likes to become deputy general secretary.


In all, 70 aspirants will be vying for 23 positions at the congress.