NDC defeat: Rawlings must accept blame – Nukpenu

Former President Jerry John Rawlings must desist from blaming individuals for the defeat of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the December 7, 2016 elections and rather see the outcome of the polls as a collective failure by the party, Anthony Nukpenu, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, has said.

According to him, the failure of the NDC to retain the presidential seat is a failure on the part of all leading members of the party including Mr. Rawlings, hence there is no point in singling out individuals to hound them for the defeat.

His comment follows an accusation made by the former president against government officials for causing the defeat of the NDC. He noted that though there were clear signs prior to the polls that the NDC would lose the elections, it ignored the signs on the wall and failed to act.

According to him, the NDC lost the elections way before December 7, because it chose to “persistently and unrepentantly stay on the slippery slope despite the warning lights” staring at it.

But reacting to his comment in an interview on Asempa FM’s Ekosii Sen on Tuesday January 3, Mr. Nukpenu said: “As a father he should also accept responsibility for our inability to retain the seat because some of his actions and pronouncements prior to the elections were clearly against us (NDC).

“We must all see the defeat as a collective failure because the pronouncements of some us ahead of the elections did not help and so we should not blame one person.”

He added that the founder of the NDC “never called for a Council of Elders meetings and also never attended NEC (National Executive Committee) meetings and so, to a large extent, he should take responsibility for our inability to win the elections”.