NDC MPs divided

The division in the NDC at the various levels has also been extended to its representatives in parliament.

Reports are that NDC MPs in parliament are sharply divided along those who are in support of Mr Mahama’s comeback in 2020 and those against it.

The bribery allegation that rocked the country’s legislative arm’s Appointments Committee early this year, is said to have further deepened the cracks within the minority side of the lawmaking House.

A source in parliament said this has resulted in lack of coordination among NDC MPs which is impeding the smooth working of the minority.

Political commentators have warned that if the NDC does not take immediate steps to put its house in order, the party could risk breaking up.

General Overseer of the Glorious Waves Church, Prophet Badu Kobi has cautioned the NDC to call for an early congress since that is the only way to end the ongoing infighting in the party, insisting that until new leaders are elected to manage the party, they will continue to blame and fight each other.

Valerie roars at JJ, Konadu

Meanwhile, a Senior Policy Adviser and Head of Presidential Delivery Unit in the erstwhile Mahama Administration, Dr Valerie Sawyerr has accused former President, Jerry John Rawlings and wife, Nana Konadu, of hiding behind phony groups to malign leading members of the National Democratic Congress.

According to Dr Sawyerr, since the painful defeat of the NDC in last year’s election, the NDC founder and wife, Konadu, have resorted to instigating activists of the party to injure the reputation of kingpins of the biggest opposition party who they accuse of causing the party’s defeat.

In an allegorical write-up in response to accusations and allegations by a group, “Action Movement of NDC” against her (Dr Sawyerr) and other NDC bigwigs including former President John Mahama of causing the party’s exit from power, the former Head of Presidential Delivery Unit alleges that, the group was doing the bidding “of some section aiming to take over the reins of NDC going forward”

Show your faces

Short of mentioning the names of Mr Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu, who have since the NDC’s defeat been rumored planning a takeover of the party, Dr Sawyerr wrote “I dare the actual persons behind the group to show their faces. Do not hide and pull these pathetic strings. If you are really men and/or women – show your faces! Cowards!!!”

Dr Sawyerr continued “When you send gullible young men to do your dirty work, it is important that you draft better statements for them to read. Statements which will enable them to get the message across, no matter how dirty the message, but in a manner that will not expose the young men to legal action. When you push them to categorically state that ‘X is a thief’, you have exposed them to legal action. But if you put in your draft that ‘there seems to be a widespread perception that X has misappropriated campaign funds’, you would have managed to get your message across while still protecting the young men. It may be a nasty untruthful message, but it would be safer for the stooges you are using to do your hatchet job.”

While Dr Sawyerr failed to name those she alleged were behind the group; many contributors to her write-up on social media who are mostly believed to be NDC sympathizers, pointed accusing fingers at the founder of the NDC, Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu.

Dr Sawyerr’s description of the leaders of the group as, known NDC activists who are also, stanch devotees of the NDC founder and his wife, who played key roles in FONKAR may have giving her readers a clue as to who the “puppet master and/or puppet mistress” are

“…I sent pictures to some of the youth on the ground to see if they could identify others in the group. One of the gentlemen was described to me as a ‘chicken thief’. They claim that anywhere you see him, if you have live chickens, ensure that you do not take your eyes off the chickens. The message that came back was ‘Madam please don’t mind him he is called ‘Kankpe Wuor’ because he is known for stealing chickens. Chicken in the Ga dialect is ‘wuor’. ‘Kankpe’ means something that is hardened. They claim he was a FONKAR boy. I do not know if this is so,” Dr Sawyerr’s wrote.

According to her, “…I remember one day, as I walked into Flagstaff House, I met someone at the entrance who greeted me nicely. It was obvious he knew who I was, even though I didn’t know him. I smiled nicely and struck up a conversation. He walked with me towards the elevator. On our way he said ‘Madam have you seen that tall man over there’. I looked and saw a dark gentleman standing there. He looked quite presentable. I asked what the problem was. He said ‘he is an armed robber, he poses as part of national security but has been doing very dangerous dirty jobs robbing people’. I said - ‘as in actual armed robber?’ he said ‘yes’. I told him not to spread rumours but he insisted that he knew what he was saying.

We parted at the elevator, as I wanted to walk up the stairs for exercise…

“Even though I had tried to brush away what he said, I quickly called one of the security heads, described the man to him and told them to check on his background and if he was a suspicious character they should be circumspect in allowing him into the Flagstaff House to prevent any possible scandals. As I looked at the pictures, I recognized him in a khaki vest. I understand he was JJ’s boy. I do not know if this is so, Dr Sawyerr added.

The group’s allegation

The Action Movement of NDC last week launched scathing attacks on former President Mahama, his wife, Mrs Lordina Mahama, his siblings and other kingpins of the biggest opposition party, tagging them as “greedy bastards”.

Addressing a press conference , spokesperson for the group, Kodzo Hamenya Keglo alleged that, the former president’s brothers were the main reason why the NDC lost the 2016 elections, accusing them of collecting all contracts from Airport, Roads, Cocobod, GNPC, ECG, VRA, Ministry of Power and all major contracts in the country.

“If you don’t see JM brothers, you cannot get a contract and if you see them, then you have to pay money before you get the contract, frustrating foreign contractors and companies by taking Ghanaian contractors for granted and creating enemies for the NDC party,” the group added.

Dr Sawyerr fires back

But in a quick and direct riposte, Dr Sawyerr said, the group was only doing the bidding of the former military strongman and his wife who are bent on denigrating some bigwigs of the umbrella party.

She wrote: “if the victims of that press conference decide to resort to court process, you - the puppet master and/or puppet mistress - will be coolly relaxed in your room while the puppets face the storm. That does not show that you care about the puppets. It means you are prepared to sacrifice the puppets for your own agenda.

And to the puppets, I say - whenever you are looking for a tree under whose branches you will seek refuge, please find a good solid tree with branches that provide shade, not a diseased tree with thin branches, which keep falling to the ground.”

Akufo Addo targets NDC leaders

The aL-hAJJ can also confirm that President Akufo-Addo and the governing New Patriotic Party are leaving no stone unturned in their quest to weaken and possibly, dismember the opposition NDC ahead of next general elections in 2020.

Latest intelligence report gathered by this paper indicates that, the president has activated his long-planned mission to ‘go after’ his political opponents, especially flag bearer hopefuls of the main opposition party.