Dr Obed Yao Asamoah, the Life-Patron of the defunct
Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) which recently claimed it has merged with the
National Democratic Congress (NDC) has beaten a quick retreat, saying former
President Rawlings “is the Founder of the NDC.”
“Morally, without Mr. Rawlings, NDC would never have been
formed and no one can deny this fact,” Dr Asamoah sai..
He made the u-turn when he spoke with the state-owned Daily Graphic on an update on
the so-called
merger between the NDC and the DFP (Daily
Graphic, Monday, October 17 edition, page 12).
In a move apparently aimed at dowsing the rage caused by his
claim recently that Rawlings is not the Founder of the NDC, Dr Asamoah said he was
prepared to work with
both President Mills and former President Rawlings as well as Former First Lady,
Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings, and the entire working structure of the NDC.
“I am prepared to work with President J. E. A. Mills, former
President J. J. Rawlings and his wife and the entire working structure of the
NDC to build a solid united front for victory in election 2012. I think unity
within the party is essential,” he said.
According to him, Former President Rawlings has played and
continues to play a lead role in the affairs of the NDC and called on all and
sundry to endeavour to give President Rawlings “his due and respect.”
Dr Asamoah said he had been misconstrued and taken out of context
when he made comments about who the real founders of the party are.
“I feel so pained that people are twisting what I said to
insult me and put me in public ridicule. I am rather pained that our politics
has been reduced to lies and insults,” he lamented.
Dr Asamoah said he did not “intend to offend, insult, or
denigrate Former President Rawlings.”
While urging Ghanaians to eschew politics of insults, Dr
Asamoah called on all and sundry to rather place much emphasis on politics of
ideas, principles, truth and values with the view to moving the country
forward.
He said one of the things that Mr Rawlings admired about him
was that “I always spoke the truth,” adding, “If you needed the truth, I will
speak it.”
In his opinion, any attempt to reduce the importance of Mr
Rawlings in NDC affairs could not supported “because the facts were there to
speak for themselves.”
The Likpe-born politician’s sharp is coming after party
heavyweights namely Totobi Quakyi, Kwamena Ahwoi, PV Obeng, Sherry Ayittey,
Mahama Iddrisu and E.T. Mensah descended heavily on him for claiming that
Rawlings is not the founder of the NDC.
Dr. Asamoah also attracted the fury of party Chairman,
Kwabena Adjei and a vast majority of NDC supporters who are at their wits end
on how to convence the Former President to let bygones be bygones and support
President Mills bid for a second term.
Many NDC activists say they cannot trust Obed Asamoah and
see his return to the party as an opportunistic attempt to reap where he had
not sewn. Some within the party have accused the Chairman of the Railways
Board, Dan Markin, as having orchestrated the return of Dr. Asamoah into the
party. The Former NDC Chairman is said to be so broke that he has had to rely
on some party members to attend the funeral of a relative in the U.S.
Dr. Asamoah’s return to the NDC continues to meet stiff resistance from party
supporters who see
him as a divisive character but some party heavyweights are determined to see
him back in the NDC fold. His quick-turn about has not impressed party loyalist
who say it only show his desperate financial position as a result of which he
is desperate to re-join the NDC.
