More NDC Top Officials reconcile

Frances says sorry to Obed

The vociferous National Women’s Organiser of the National Democracy Congress (NDC), Frances Assiam has asked for forgiveness from her party chairman, Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, for whatever trespasses she might have committed against him in the run-up to the special delegates’ congress that took place last Saturday.

“I have apologised to Obed as at Friday during our last national executive meeting (NEC) and he has accepted my apology in good faith,” she told The Evening News in an exclusive interview minutes after Prof Mills’ victory.

With broad smiles, Assiam said Dr Asamoah afterwards gave her a fatherly advice how all factions in the party should unite, noting that there was the need for absolute peace if the NDC wants to win the 2004 general elections.

Once considered as good allies, relations between Obed and Frances turned sour soon after the April party congress that voted Obed as the chairman. It further deteriorated and was at its lowest ebb when Frances made series of allegations against her chairman.

The allegations, which were made in the media, included the alleged hiring of macho men by Obed to beat up Frances at the party’s headquarters. Frances had also blamed her chairman for deliberately starving the party of the necessary logistics and money in organising the congress. But for now, she said these belong to the past and that she had turned over a new leaf.

Asked about the outcome of the congress, Assiam said she saw Mills win was a victory for democracy. She explained that NDC faithfuls should be happy to have a candidate that won massive victory at the congress, stressing that “with Prof John Atta Mills we will regain power in 2004.”

On his part, the NDC Deputy General-Secretary, Baba Jamal, described the congress as “great”. He noted that the delegates’ decision to overwhelmingly elect Prof Mills was rational since they had demonstrated that he is a good candidate. According to Baba Jamal, the NDC has emerged more united and purposeful after the congress.

John Asiedu Nketsiah, MP for Wenchi West, described Dr Asamoah’s speech in which he asked Prof Mills to step down as being in bad taste. He explained that it was not fair for the party chairman to have called on Prof Mills to step down at the congress.

He said the result of the election was a true reflection of the situation on the ground, saying with figures that Dr Kwesi Botchwey had, it meant that he did not even win a vote in each constituency.

He wondered how Dr Botchwey’s nomination form was endorsed in each of the 200 constituencies when the results showed that he could not get a vote in each of the constituencies.

“It only meant that the delegates gave Dr Botchwey false promise,” he said. He noted that if allegations that Dr Botchwey’s camp gave huge amounts of money to the delegates were true, then the results clearly showed that the party could rise above money politics.

According to Asiedu Nketiah, popularly referred to as “general mosquito”, Prof Mills’ victory should send a signal to the ruling government that come 2004 elections, the NPP could not account on falsehood and money peddling to win.

On his part, Mike Gizo, the campaign manager of Dr Botchwey said the successful organisation of the congress was a victory for democracy. “We must all unite to support Prof Mills to win power in 2004,” he said.