Mass Desertion Hits NDC

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been hit by mass desertions, including former NPP constituency chairman and secretary who had left the NPP to join the NDC before the last general elections only to return to the ruling party.

According to the numerous NDC deserters who show up in the office of The Statesman, the Rawlings factor did a lot of damage to the Party during the 2000 elections. “Instead of Rawlings to have taken the backseat and allowed Mills to campaign, he played the leading role, which created the impression that, even if Mills won, he was still going to be in charge. People are simply tired of his face” charged Afari Addo, a very senior member of the NDC from the Upper West Akyem constituency.

Afari Addo was accompanied by Simon Faris, also of the same constituency, who was even more militant. He charged. “The people of this country want a new kind of leadership. Not the rabble-rousing kind of leadership; once the NDC does not want to give us that kind of leadership, then we are back in the NPP.” Afari Addo and Simon Faris were once NPP activists, but defected to the NDC in the run-up to the 2000 elections. “We are back to our mother party with a mission to help the NPP win the Parliamentary seat in our constituency in 2004,” they added.

Besides the lack of visionary leadership, Afari Addo also told The Statesman that he and his colleague left the NDC because of misunderstandings between them and Evans Asamoah, who was later dropped as the Party’s parliamentary candidate. They accused Asamoah of using thugs to attack them and the NDC MP of telling wicked lies about them. “We felt unwanted in a wrong party, so we are back to our roots,” they charged.

“There is no place like home, so we are back to our mother party. We want to assure the NPP that we are back with contrite hearts and we are back to stay forever. We take this opportunity to assure our mother party that we sincerely regret our decision.” Ever since the NDC lost power in 2000, it has seen massive desertions of its key membership. Vincent Assiseh was the first to fire a salvo at the NDC. He charged on a radio Show programme that NDC is not a Party. It was a group put together simply to contest elections.” Vincent Assiseh disassociated himself from the NDC, alleging that it was a personally-cult.

Then followed the indefatigable Nuamah Donkor. In the case of Nuamah Donkor, he simply announced his exit from politics. But political observers and commentators believe that his exit is the result of a belief that it will take the NDC a long time indeed to win power, even it will every win power at all. Another strong member of the NDC who has gone num on the NDC is the former Deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Austin Gamey. The list includes: Alhaji Issaka Inusah, one-time Campaign Manager of President Kufour, who defected to the NDC in the heat of the electioneering campaign in 2000. I

In a dramatic move, Alhaji Inusah announced his come-back to the NPP. Kwame Gyamfi, a former chairman of the NPP for Okaikoi North who left the NPP to join the NDC, has also made an about-turn into the NPP. Kwame Gyamfi was used widely and profusely in the media campaigns of the NDC during the 2000 elections. The Statesman recently published the defection of Alhaji B.A. Fuseini, Ghana’s ambassador to Libya, under the NDC administration. Sylvester Mensah, a former Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopoon, has quietly sneaked out of the country, where he is eking out a living in Britain.

Faustina Nelson, the strong woman of the veranda Girls and Boys Club, who asked the NPP, to go and drink Guiness if they wanted power, is gone underground. With these developments and the power-struggle currently going on in the NDC, observers believe that it is only a matter of time when the NDC will be completely deserted.

The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been hit by mass desertions, including former NPP constituency chairman and secretary who had left the NPP to join the NDC before the last general elections only to return to the ruling party.

According to the numerous NDC deserters who show up in the office of The Statesman, the Rawlings factor did a lot of damage to the Party during the 2000 elections. “Instead of Rawlings to have taken the backseat and allowed Mills to campaign, he played the leading role, which created the impression that, even if Mills won, he was still going to be in charge. People are simply tired of his face” charged Afari Addo, a very senior member of the NDC from the Upper West Akyem constituency.

Afari Addo was accompanied by Simon Faris, also of the same constituency, who was even more militant. He charged. “The people of this country want a new kind of leadership. Not the rabble-rousing kind of leadership; once the NDC does not want to give us that kind of leadership, then we are back in the NPP.” Afari Addo and Simon Faris were once NPP activists, but defected to the NDC in the run-up to the 2000 elections. “We are back to our mother party with a mission to help the NPP win the Parliamentary seat in our constituency in 2004,” they added.

Besides the lack of visionary leadership, Afari Addo also told The Statesman that he and his colleague left the NDC because of misunderstandings between them and Evans Asamoah, who was later dropped as the Party’s parliamentary candidate. They accused Asamoah of using thugs to attack them and the NDC MP of telling wicked lies about them. “We felt unwanted in a wrong party, so we are back to our roots,” they charged.

“There is no place like home, so we are back to our mother party. We want to assure the NPP that we are back with contrite hearts and we are back to stay forever. We take this opportunity to assure our mother party that we sincerely regret our decision.” Ever since the NDC lost power in 2000, it has seen massive desertions of its key membership. Vincent Assiseh was the first to fire a salvo at the NDC. He charged on a radio Show programme that NDC is not a Party. It was a group put together simply to contest elections.” Vincent Assiseh disassociated himself from the NDC, alleging that it was a personally-cult.

Then followed the indefatigable Nuamah Donkor. In the case of Nuamah Donkor, he simply announced his exit from politics. But political observers and commentators believe that his exit is the result of a belief that it will take the NDC a long time indeed to win power, even it will every win power at all. Another strong member of the NDC who has gone num on the NDC is the former Deputy Minister for Employment and Social Welfare, Austin Gamey. The list includes: Alhaji Issaka Inusah, one-time Campaign Manager of President Kufour, who defected to the NDC in the heat of the electioneering campaign in 2000. I

In a dramatic move, Alhaji Inusah announced his come-back to the NPP. Kwame Gyamfi, a former chairman of the NPP for Okaikoi North who left the NPP to join the NDC, has also made an about-turn into the NPP. Kwame Gyamfi was used widely and profusely in the media campaigns of the NDC during the 2000 elections. The Statesman recently published the defection of Alhaji B.A. Fuseini, Ghana’s ambassador to Libya, under the NDC administration. Sylvester Mensah, a former Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopoon, has quietly sneaked out of the country, where he is eking out a living in Britain.

Faustina Nelson, the strong woman of the veranda Girls and Boys Club, who asked the NPP, to go and drink Guiness if they wanted power, is gone underground. With these developments and the power-struggle currently going on in the NDC, observers believe that it is only a matter of time when the NDC will be completely deserted.