NDC chairman explains Joshua Alabi ‘snub’ at Founder’s Day march

Greater Accra Region Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Joseph Cobbina Ade Coker says he is not unaware that some leading members of the party wanted to mount last Thursday’s platform to “campaign”.

But he had to stop them since “nobody has told me they are campaigning”.

Followers of leading NDC member Professor Joshua Alabi, who is said to be interested in running for the party’s presidential primary, were angry on Thursday for the refusal of organizers to allow their idol to speak. Organisers allowed some key personalities including National Chairman Kofi Portuphy to talk to the supporters.

But others such as Prof Alabi were disallowed though they joined the walk, which was staged in solidarity with ‘Founder of Ghana’ Kwame Nkrumah. “We didn’t go on the platform to campaign,” Mr Ade Coker said on TV3‘s News @10 on Thursday.

He said the march was a unity walk organised as part of the recommendations of the Kwesi Botchwey Committee report. He said organizers agreed that only the Greater Accra Regional Chairman, National Chairman and NDC Members of Parliament in the region will address the gathering.

Therefore, any other person was barred from mounting the platform, he explained. Mr Ade Coker said after all none of the positions within the party has been opened up for new aspirants.

He claimed the unity and ‘healing of wounds’ is more important than any aspirant mounting the stage to campaign. “What we need to do is to reorganize because if you don’t reorganize, who will vote for you?”