NDC's headache

The Public Agenda reports that attempts by the National Democratic Congress (NDC) hierarchy to impose candidates on the constituencies in the run up to the December general elections risk forcing another splinter group to emerge from the party.

The paper, in a front-page coverage, says discontent over the scheme by the grassroots has become very intense as party leaders insist that sitting MPs be retained.

According to the story, some party cadres blame the loss of a number of parliamentary seats to the opposition in the 1996 elections on the National Executive Committee's (NEC) move to overrule several constituency Parliamentary primary results, which gave 61 out of the 200 seats to the opposition.

The Agenda reports that the party's current insistence that sitting MPs be maintained, is infuriating parliamentary aspirants within the party and their supporters.

It continues that sources inside the party say the problem of selecting MPs has degenerated so much that some of the potential candidates and grassroots supporters are threatening to resist the leadership at all cost including breaking away.