Obed Makes U-turn

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.