JJ gets lifeline in NDC as FONKAR boy secures top post

The outcome of last Saturday’s National Youth Elections of the ruling National Democratic Congress(NDC) held in Kumasi appears to have handed a lifeline to the founder of the party and former President, Mr. Jerry John Rawlings, after one of his young political products secured the top post as the National Youth Organizer of the party. The so-called demise of the former Military leader as a decisive force within the party he founded almost 23 years ago may have been hugely exaggerated as reports indicate that the ‘old man’ still pulls the string from afar and could be influential in the main congress scheduled for December 20 in Kumasi.

Just when many Ghanaians thought the former President was losing grip on the party he commandeered in his hay days, Mr. Rawlings has once again conjured his political magic, seeing one of his nurtured young political birds, Sidii Abubakar Musah, put up a strong battle to overthrow the incumbent Youth Organizer, Ludwig Hlodze.

Sidii Abubakar secured a whopping 382 votes as against 196 by the incumbent Ludwig, to lead the youth wing of the ruling party ahead of the 2016 general elections.

The result therefore means that the Ex-President, despite suffering significant setbacks in the just ended regional congresses of the party having failed to garner the needed support for his favourite candidates, may still exert some influence amongst the youth and could as well hope his last man standing, Kofi Adams, can perform similar magic next week to beat the incumbent, Yaw Boateng Gyan, to the National Organizer position.

The newly elected National Youth Organizer is one of the offsprings of Mr. Rawlings’ radicalism during the final years of the late President John Evans Atta Mills and played lead role in the early formation of the Friends of Nana KonaduAgyemang Rawlings(FONKAR) though he later backtracked, following his political godfather back to the fold of the mainstream NDC.

But probably the victory last Saturday by Sidii Abubakar may not have come as a good news to the President as the defeat of the incumbent, Mr. Ludwig Hlodze, a guy the founder took on some years ago, describing him as one of the ‘greedy bastards’ and consequently giving birth to the popular expression “Ludwig, the little twit”.

The former President barely saw eye to eye with the defeated National Youth Organizer whom he accused of displaying ostentatious lifestyle, abusing his position as a staff at the Presidency during the time of the late President Mills.

But Mr. Rawlings has still got a huge task ahead of him from now up to December 20, if he still wants to preserve his invisible hands within the NDC, as he would have to offer strong support to his Special Aide, Kofi Adams, to be able to beat Yaw Boateng Gyan, who is highly tipped to retain his post.