Mahama faces internal aluta ?

Amidst incompetence and economic hardship -

The war of attrition in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is intensely getting murkier with fresh signals of sturdy rebellion from party heavyweights accusing President John Dramani Mahama of acts aimed at destroying the umbrella party before and after the 2016 elections.

Leading party members are alarmed by what they say are creeping arrogance of power, lack of direction in the management of the country, almost daily embarrassing gaffes from the presidency, incompetence in the management of the economy leading to the current hardship seeming corruption and disrespect to all those who matter in the party leading to reign of ‘tyranny’.

Their beef is that aside the President being surrounded by people who had nothing to do with the NDC in the struggle to come to power, the kingpins and their backers in the ruling party are complaining of the inept and ineffectiveness of the President’s team which they say has plunged Ghanaians into economic hardship and deprivation with its attendant disenchantment among the general populace.

They accused the President and his team of destroying the economy that the late Prof Mills had labored almost three and half years to build.

“He inherited a very stable and healthy economy in the middle of 2012 when our beloved Prof Mills passed on, but for almost two years in the saddle, what are we seeing today?” one senior party member queried.

“We are tired of the insults to our party from ordinary Ghanaians on the street, in the trotros and taxis, market places, universities and what have you.

“The President seems not to care about all these and pretends he doesn’t know what is happening, but our concern is that we may lose the next elections and if we are not careful, that would be the end of the party, because it would be difficult for us to come back. If we are coming back, on what or who’s record do we campaign?

“He needs to change or else some of us would start coming out in the open to challenge him,” an NDC linchpin warned.

Without mincing words, some senior members of the NDC narrated to The aL-hAJJ how frustrated and dejected other linchpins who played crucial roles in ensuring the party won power and retain it in the last election are.

Strangely and shockingly, some NDC folks are of the opinion that President John Mahama is in to destroy the party and weaken its chances of winning future elections.

On the sidelines of ‘One day’ and ‘seven day’ observations for the late P.V. Obeng, the general refrain on the lips of members and supporters of the ruling party in attendance and indeed, in the various constituencies is that “Mahama 3sei y3n party nu” to wit “Mahama is destroying our party”.

Leading party officials have been rebuking President Mahama for trying to distance his administration from the three and half year leadership of the late Prof Mills.

According to the leading party members who spoke to this paper on condition their names are not revealed, the seeming anti-Mills agenda is manifested across all the facets of John Mahama’s presidency.

“In almost every Ministry, Department and Agency, he seems to have problems with the late Professor’s appointments and so he has replaced almost everybody the late Professor appointed. What is the rationale in that? Prof Mills suffered and sacrificed his life for our party, so at least the President should have given some attention to his wishes in his appointments. Is he trying to tell us that even when the late Professor was alive, he, President Mahama had something against him?” a NDC senior member asked rhetorically.

“In fact, even, in terms of policies, and achievement, President Mahama is behaving as if the NDC came to power in 2013 and not 2009. In his speeches and interviews he hardly mentions the good works that the late President did in his short period as the President of the land from January 2009 to July 2012 when he passed-on, not to talk of defending him and his records. This is a sign of ungratefulness from our brother, and I shudder to think of the repercussions on his government and our party because I know that whatever goes up would surely come down one day,” the NDC linchpin stated.

Intelligence picked by The aL-hAJJ indicates that due to the growing despondency among leading party members which seems unnoticed and unattended to by the powers that be, the coming days will portend lethal for President Mahama as there are plans to openly rebel against his administration, particularly his leadership style and “his persistent refusal to listen to advice from the most experienced members of the party”, alluded to by a senior party member

Reports are that constituencies, regional and even some national executives who in the past have had to prevent party sympathizers and members from ‘exploding’ are themselves getting exhausted and are now ready to play lead roles in the battle to roof the NDC party they are accusing President Mahama of gradually ripping off.

Aside this, The al-hAJJ can predict that very soon some senior government officials will openly come out to oppose some of the government’s economic policies they believe are contributing to the hardships in the country.

This paper has observed that, it is becoming common these days when two, three or more NDC members gather, to hear them whining in a spontaneous chorus as if they had met to rehearse. Invariably, it is about the performance of the government, the President’s governance style and neglect of party apparatchiks at all levels.

Some NDC party supporters seething with rage told this paper how embarrassed and disappointed they were when president Mahama almost two weeks ago visited the home of the late P. V. Obeng, to commiserate with his family.

According to party folks the manner in which the president and his entourage went about “without observing the well-established and time-tested customary practice of acknowledging mourners gathered before proceeding to greet family members was very unfortunate”, with some of them blaming the incidence on “lack of institutional memory”.

“We were all gathered when president Mahama arrived at the late comrade P. V. Obeng’s house that Sunday, a day after his death, eclipsed by hordes of body guards and without following tradition, he bypassed all the chiefs, elders, senior party functionaries and other grieving party sympathizers gathered to go and greet his former senior advisor’s family members inside the house. How sad?” a senior party member told this paper on condition of anonymity

According to the source, party folks and some sympathizers at the funeral begun reading meanings into the president’s action, “I don’t know whether its arrogance or… I can’t tell?”

Another party bigwig disclosed to The aL-hAJJ that, due to the difficulties NDC chieftains have with president Mahama, party gurus with roots from the Ashanti region boycotted his recent tour of that part of the country.

Reports available to The aL-hAJJ suggests that NDC capos from the Ashanti region but largely resident in Accra popularly referred to as ‘Ashanti Caucus’ snubbed the president’s visit to the region in protest at what they described as shabby treatments and the abandonment of party principles.

Indeed, a lady leading figure in the Ashanti caucus who tried meeting the president at the Residency of the regional coordinating council was turned away and was reported to have cursed the day she joined the NDC, asking rhetorically if NDC is worth dying for.

In protest to their misgivings about President Mahama and his administration, NDC members and supporters in the Eastern region are said to be planning massive demonstration against the government.

The raged NDC supporters are complaining that almost a year and half into office the Mahama administration has not been able to form a government and has been exhibiting dictatorial tendencies so far as internal party issues are concern.

A senior party official in the region who is also part of the organizers of the upcoming protest in a chat with this paper accused government of being inept, “as I speak to you almost two years in office, the NDC has not been able to complete forming government. Some districts are yet to get Chief Executives, board of governors for some state corporations; until this week only two ambassadors appointed so far have taken up their duties and all other critical things the president ought to have done by now are hanging in balance.”

According to him the president’s style of leadership will make things difficult for the NDC in the 2016, and as such they have vowed not to sit aloof and “allow the president destroy our party”.