Obed Asamoah to contest NDC Chairmanship

Former Attorney-General, Dr. Obed Yaw Asamoah has dropped hints that he will contest the chairmanship position of the party during their congress at the University of Ghana, Legon, on December 28.

“People are entreating me to contest the chairmanship, and I’m actively considering their entreaties” Dr. Asamoah told the Chronicle, a Ghanaian private newspaper.

He would however not comment on the meeting reportedly held at he Ridge residence of the former president, Jerry Rawlings at which the former president allegedly made certain unsavory remarks about him.

Rawlings reportedly accused Dr. Asamoah of planning to strip him of his positions in the NDC. “I was not in the meeting; in fact, I was out of town; I can therefore not comment on an event I do not know much about,” the legal luminary said, adding, “In any case, I do not see how anybody could circumvent the wishes of the grassroots.” Dr. Asamoah also chairman of the NDC’s National Re-organisation Committee, created by the National Executive Council and the Consultative Committee of the party which includes representatives of the alliance partners, the DPP and EGLE party toured the whole country, collected and collated views from the rank and file as to how the party should move forward.

Asamoah said party members expressed concerns about three main issues – the imposition of candidates at the constituency and national levels, the position of founder and leader of the party and the six national vice-chairmen of the party.

It was generally proposed that no candidate should be imposed at any level of the party organisation, and that free and fair elections should be held at all levels. On the issue of the founder and leader (a position Rawlings currently occupies), Dr. Asamoah said it was felt that the former president should remain the founder of the party, while in an election year, the flagbearer would become the leader.

He said these changes were necessary because in the last elections, Rawlings overshadowed the party’s flagbearer Professor Mills. Dr. Asamoah also explained that it was proposed that the position of co-chairmen be abolished because it has the potential of creating misunderstanding, disagreement and inertia, for if the two co-chairmen disagree, the result would be paralysis.

The former A-G expressed the hope that these changes will be adopted by congress