Volta Region NDC to form new party ?

There are increasing and credible reports that the crisis in the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is far from over.

According to “The Dispatch,” it is rather deteriorating and in what could be a big blow to the party, many of its organizers in its political “World Bank” are contemplating forming a new party.

Plans towards this far-reaching decision are far advanced and would be actualized if, as one of the gurus said: “the on-going smear campaigns and threats do not stop, we will form a political party. Please remember that we can get at least 15 parliamentary seats.”

According to the paper, the irony of the on-going crisis within the NDC is that the two main ‘combatants’ are sons of the Volta Region: ex-president Jerry Rawlings and Dr. Obed Asamoah.

The story from the Volta Region as reported by the Dispatch is very worrying bearing in mind that there are also reports that the three Northern Regions are also thinking of floating a new party if the crisis deepens. What seems to be irritating many of the leading members in the northern caucus is that whereas many of them are now defending the NDC, they were comparatively relegated to the background.

Apart from the Volta Region, the three northern regions are also regarded as NDC strongholds.

Officially, the NDC won 17 of the 19 Parliamentary seats in the Volta Region, unofficially 18, if one adds that of Mr. Victor Gbeho. The other seat went to an independent candidate. In the first round presidential elections on December 7, 2000, the NDC’s candidate, Professor John Evans Atta Mills won 88.2 per cent of votes in the Volta Region. In the December 28 run-off, the NDC candidate won 88.5 per cent of the votes.

In the three northern regions, the NDC won 33 of the cumulative total of 43 seats. Professor Mills, had an average of 55 per cent of votes cast. He had an average of 57 per cent of votes in the Presidential run-off.

It is clear from the brief statistics above that the Volta Northern, Upper West account for at least 50 per cent of NDC’s Parliamentary seats and a sizeable chunk of votes in the Presidential elections. Amidst the reports from these four regions are hints that two constituencies in the Greater Accra (names withheld) have threatened to break away from the NDC if the executive chosen at the national level are not choices of the founder of the NDC, Mr. Rawlings.

The NDC had a total of 19 out of the 36 Parliamentary seats on offer in the Western and Central Regions. It had an average of 44% of votes in the first round of the Presidential elections. Its candidate had an average of 39.5 % of votes in the two regions in the December 28 Presidential run-off. It is expected that many of the leading members of the party in the two regions will opt to join the Convention People’s Party (CPP) should the NDC crisis worsen.

Analysts are wondering whether the NDC Members of Parliament were elected more on their individual merit than as candidates of the NDC. It is generally believed that the CPP stands to benefit from a disunited NDC but can the NDC survive its present crisis?

Analysts believe that for the sake of democracy, the NDC should be united to offer the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) some challenge in the country’s young democracy.