NDC race gets dirty; Allotey fights Asiedu Nketia

With less than a week to the election of national officers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), some party stalwarts have started throwing jabs at each other.

The incumbent General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, who has held the post for three terms, is now facing the race of his life, as some NDC gurus appear to have ganged up to get him out.

Former Central Regional Chairman of the party, Bernard Allotey Jacobs, who has not hidden his disdain for the party’s embattled General Secretary, exposed the double standards of the General Secretary of the party, describing him as a sycophant, opportunist and hypocrite.

NDC National Treasurer, Alhaji Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, had also declared war on the NDC General Secretary, who is also known as General Mosquito, calling for his rejection in the party’s national congress scheduled for Trade Fair in Accra on Saturday.

According to him, Asiedu Nketia is a dictator and some of his actions are destroying the party.

Alhaji Abdullah Ahmed, popularly known as Alhaji PMC, says Asiedu Nketia does not heed advice, adding that the party’s National Chairman, Kofi Portuphy, is even unable to control him and his cohorts.

“There has never been an issue raised by Chairman Portuphy or myself at our meetings that Asiedu Nketia has approved before. When I make suggestions they throw it away saying it is illegal. Chairman Portuphy is unable to control him. Asiedu Nketia is a dictator. He has a bad attitude. He does not listen to advice. He likes insulting people. When you say something and it goes against them, they push the young guys to insult you,” he told Accra-based Asempa FM.

Reacting to Mr. Asiedu Nketia’s sudden U-turn to endorse former President John Mahama for the NDC presidential race, Mr. Jacobs, in a Facebook post, said it was hypocritical for the General Secretary to endorse Mr. Mahama after initially castigating 10 regional chairmen who had earlier endorsed Mahama, telling Mr. Asiedu Nketia emphatically that “Nyame betua wo ka (God will punish you.)”

In the post, which he confirmed to DAILY GUIDE was authored by him, Allotey Jacobs told the General Secretary that ”sycophancy is when 10 regional chairmen endorsed John Mahama and you castigated them for doing so and when the race for General Secretary is hot you endorsed Mahama’s flagbearship; Nyame Betua Wo ka (God will punish you).”

The former chairman criticized Mr Asiedu Nketia for castigating some party executives not too long ago for throwing their weight behind the former president, but has turned round to do same.

It would be recalled that after the party lost the 2016 elections, a group of regional chairmen called on former President John Dramani Mahama to consider running for president again.

This was swiftly chastised by the General Secretary, who said it was against the party’s constitution for regional heads or any other party executive to endorse any candidate.

Interestingly, Mr Asiedu Nketia has openly thrown his weight behind the former president, and this has obviously nettled many party members, including Allotey Jacobs.

The former central regional chairman, who described Asiedu Nketia as a spent force, has indicated his preparedness to support Koku Anyidoho, the Deputy General Secretary.

Although there is no love lost between Allotey Jacobs and the General Secretary of the opposition party, this post by Allotey is likely to trigger a war of words, which will likely deepen the enmity that appears to be brewing between the two.

Allotey Jacobs, in a chat with DAILY GUIDE conceded that it would be a tough race in the upcoming NDC National Congress, saying “we will support Koku to the last.”

On endorsement of candidates, he complained about how some persons around former President Mahama were campaigning for some candidates for the National Congress and deceiving the public that the former president had endorsed such candidates.

One of such candidates is Dan Abodakpi, who is believed to be enjoying the support of Mr. Mahama for the chairmanship race of the NDC.

However, Mr. Allotey Jacobs stated emphatically that the former president has not declared his support for any candidate and would not do so ahead of the primaries.