NDC chairman, Portuphy boys trade blows

Drama unfolded in Koforidua, the Eastern regional capital, when two pro-National Democratic Congress (NDC) groups supporting incumbent National Chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei and his challenger, Kofi Portuphy, descended on each other in a war of words.

The groups, Kwabena Adjei for Continuity (KAFCO) and Eastern for Portuphy (EFOP) threw verbal missiles across to each other through press statements issued recently.

The clash reflected the escalating rivalry between Dr. Kwabena Adjei and the National Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Kofi Portuphy, who had apparently mounted an underground campaign to unseat the incumbent chairman of the ruling party.

DAILY GUIDE gathered that the confrontation started when EFOP recently issued a press statement warning Dr. Kwabena Adjei for making some comments the group described as ‘undemocratic’.

The group then called on the party’s Council of Elders and the National Executive Committee to query the national chairman over the said statement.

According to the group, Dr. Adjei had told some NDC supporters that he would not be contested in the forthcoming National Delegates’ Congress because he was “NDC National Chairman for life”.

“Having been around for close to 30-40 years, I know the concerns of the youth and given the opportunity, I will do everything possible to address their concerns. We have not struggled in vain, and I would not leave the scene for a novice; I ought to complete what I began,” Dr Adjei reportedly said, earning him an ‘undemocratic’ tag from the Portuphy boys.

But in a quick reply, the KAFCO challenged their rivals to prove that their candidate was worth voting for as the party’s National Chairman, questioning Mr. Portuphy’s credibility and capacity to occupy that position.

KAFCO, comprising some 280 members, on Thursday, issued a press statement signed by the group’s Coordinator, Jude Teye, who described Dr. Kwabena Adjei as “a very democratic man, a unifier, a real gentleman, hardworking, respectful, a team player, and very dedicated to the party, who has led the NDC to win two difficult elections”.

According to the statement, the NDC would no longer entertain any group of persons or individuals who would want to create divisions or factions in the party.

“Having read through the press statement issued on Wednesday, 11th December, 2013 on Ghanaweb by a group of NDC members from the Eastern Region by name ‘Eastern For Portuphy’ led by Mr. Richard Etornam, making comments about National Chairman, even if it’s true that Dr. Adjei did make such a statement, we think that he was only expressing his optimism of winning the Chairmanship slot again in the forthcoming National Delegates Congress and cannot be described as being ‘undemocratic’.

“…we always have to be guided by good conscience in the choice of words in the description of great personalities and leading members of our party like Dr. Kwabena Adjei,” KAFCO’s statement read, adding that NDC supporters should reject attempts by EFOP to mudsling the incumbent party chairman.