Mahama - Bagbin fight “healthy” for NDC – Obed Asamoah

Former National Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr. Yao Obed Asamoah, has described as “healthy”, the recent spat between President John Mahama and former Majority Leader, Alban Bagbin.

Dr. Asamoah told XYZ Breakfast Show host Moro Awudu Wednesday that such disagreements are necessary in every political party.

“…These are things that should happen within any political party. It should be possible within any party for any member to raise issues of concern for discussion,” he argued.

According to him, “the tradition of conspiracy of silence once the party is in power is a tradition that is not helpful to the country, so I think that it is healthy that there should be discussion of issues that concern the nation within the party and outside the party and I’m all for that”.

The give-and-take between the president and Bagbin started after the Nadowli West Legislator raised concerns about, what in his view, was the lacklustre manner in which the president was tackling corruption in his administration.

Bagbin, who has since taken a lot of flak from people around the president such as Presidential Staffer Stan Dogbe, foreign Affairs Minister Hanna Tetteh, Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Inusah Fuseini amongst a raft of others, dared the president “to big it on” in one of his media tirades and said he does not serve the president but rather Ghana.

Despite a truce called by the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia on Monday, President Mahama on Tuesday hurled a subtle response at his critics at a public event.

He said: “For those who disagree with me and are anxious to see my back, not to worry, 2016 is not too far away. I will urge them to be patient. In this difficult job, the least one expects is loyalty and comradeship”. Mr. Mahama also said those questioning his commitment to fighting corruption do not really know him.

“Recently a few of my comrades have questioned my commitment to fight corruption. I dare say they don’t know me”.

Some political science lecturers and analysts have criticised the President’s response as inappropriate and knee-jerky.

Dr. Obed Asamoah, however, sees the disagreement as a necessary evil.