By A A Yayra
Though no leading member of the National Democratic Congress has come out openly to vent his or her anger or raise a whisker about President John Dramani Mahama’s appointments so far, there is growing murmuring and grumbling among some members of the party, The Al-Hajj can confirm.
Signals picked-up by The Al-Hajj are that some members of the NDC, most of whom played key roles in the Presidents’ electoral victory, but feel being marginalized or people they had expected to feature in President Mahama’s team but are not, have in their closet, well hatched plans which could irredeemably jeopardize the fortunes of the government.
Some gurus behind the above machination, which include notable elders of the party who feel they have been marginalized and junior ranks, who also think they have given their all to the party, but are not been recognized, could not fathom why according to one of them who spoke to this paper on condition of anonymity that, “after being used as campaign “horses” in the 2012 election, it seems the President has suddenly found people he trust most and does not listen to us anymore.”
Though, most of the aggrieved members have served noticed not to leave the NDC, The Al-Hajj can report that, they are fervently scheming and preparing to use well hatched means to rebel against the President.
As a precursor and to drum home their protest, some of the vociferous ones, who also feature prominently as unapologetic ‘defenders’ of the party especially, within the media landscape are said to be planning boycotts.
The current development in the NDC dovetails into a surprising incident that rocked Radio Gold’s political talk show, ‘Alhaji and Alhaji’ last Saturday when all the known regular guests of the program refused and or; didn’t show up, with some of them said to be citing various flimsy excuses.
The bitter heart NDC gurus, though have coiled into their shells and have remained tight lipped on the issue, seems to have thrown their weight behind the chatty Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, who has openly been tongue lashing the President for lack of consultation in his appointments.
“Kwesi Pratt seems to be speaking and expressing the sentiments of most of us…you know, though we have issues with the appointments, we cannot come out openly to criticize him like what Kwesi is doing…but we know what to do to get out misgivings addressed ” a leading member later told The Al-Hajj.
Hours after the President’s nominees were made public, the Managing Editor of The Insight Newspaper; who himself was not enthused with the appointments, went on air to lambast the President.
Reacting to the ongoing political turmoil within the NDC, a political commentator and strong sympathizer of the party, Alhaji T. D Sakibu called on President John Mahama to gather courage and do the right thing that epitomized the NDC as a political party that has it members made of people coming from diverse backgrounds.
He explained that “it was through the party’s consensus building and broad base consultations that unearthed the late Prof Mills; one of the finest politicians Ghana ever had and who rose to become president…it is also through such consultations that the NDC has developed a convention to reserved the national chairmanship slot of the party to Voltarians, because the region remains the only one that gives the NDC it bloc votes in every election.”
Alhaji Sabiku stated that though nomination of persons for ministerial appointments was the prerogative of the President per our national constitution, it is also only prudent that he allows top echelon of the party to feel being part as it will not only be suicidal for him, but to the NDC and the country, if he decides to depart from such a noble cause.
According to him “many of the old guards in the NDC may not need any appointment, what they want is recognition; something that will make them part of what is currently going on in the party. These are people who have been with the party since its formation and they have used their time, energy and resources to build it, so it will be in the best interest of the President to recognize them.
“Dr Obed Asamoah and co, who have left the party and are now back, and are receiving some level of recognition, I think the same level of recognition should be given to these old guards. Whether you like it or not they are the embodiment of the party and you can’t do away with them,” he noted.
