NDC admits to complacency

Some supporters of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) party are worried stiff about their chances in the upcoming Tamale Central bye-election scheduled for April 4.

According to the NDC supporters, the election could have been a fait accompli for the NDC because of the withdrawal of their archrival New Patriotic Party (NPP), but judging by current rifts in the party, they would require extra work and dedication, as being exhibited by the candidate off the Convention People?s Party (CPP) candidate, Basharu Alhassan Daballi.

They point to the level of disunity among the party, which requires the leadership to work at.

The concerned NDC members told The Chronicle in Tamale that the party and its executives at both the national and regional levels had become too complacent, believing that they could retain the seat with or without effort. ?But this election is 50-50 for all and any party can win it.? They indicated that the recent division that emerged in the NDC after their Koforidua Delegates Congress between the party founder, Ex-President Dr. Jerry John Rawlings, and the then party National Chairman, Dr. Yao Obed Asamoah, was likely to mar the chances of the party in the bye-election.

The paper was hinted that some members, who claim to belong to Dr. Obed Asamoah?s camp, had thrown their weight behind the CPP candidate, Daballi, and were secretly campaigning against the NDC candidate, Lawyer Inusah Fuseini.

They were reportedly holding the perception that the NDC candidate belonged to Dr. Rawlings?s camp, as he is the lawyer for the former 1st lady, Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.

They alleged that the Obed supporters were claiming that they did not know Lawyer Inusah and had not seen his contributions to the development of the NDC in the constituency.

This Machiavellian machination, they said, is being used to make the party?s candidate unpopular for him to lose the election.

The concerned NDC members regretted that the party?s national executives and the prominent leaders, like Dr. Rawlings, John Atta Mills, John Mahama and others, have not given a serious attention to this Tamale bye-election, as compared with the ones at Odododiodoo in the Greater Accra Region and Asawase in the Ashanti Region, notwithstanding the few days ahead.

They reminded the executives to be aware that Lawyer Inusah was not popular and needed to be marketed to match the CPP candidate, Basharu Alhassan Daballi, who had mounted several platforms and had interacted with the electorate in diverse ways.

?Our serious concern is how most NPP supporters and some of our own supporters, who belong to Obed?s camp, have joined with the CPP members to campaign for the CPP candidate.

We must learn from this bye-election to enable us to prepare adequately for the 2008 general elections, otherwise we will laugh at the wrong side of our mouth,? they indicated.

They however appealed to the so-called Obed?s supporters to attend to the cause of the NDC since ?there is nobody like Obed Asamoah in the NDC again.?