NDC flagbearer campaign heats up

Ekow Spio Garbrah, former Communications Minister in the National Democratic Congress administration and the party's presidential aspirant, says he is the best man to persuade the other minority parties to form a solid alliance with the National Democratic Congress to defeat the ruling party in 2008.

"You can speak to Dr. Delle of the CPP, Edward Mahama of the PNC and Dan Lartey of the GCPP, they will all tell you that I am the man they can best work with in an alliance against the NPP,” he told The Statesman.

Also, campaigning in Koforidua Saturday, the man affectionately called Spio, went further to tell journalists that he believes he has the clout and capability to also bring on board Obed Asamoah's Democratic Freedom Party and Goosie Tannoh’s Reform Party.

Earlier, launching his campaign on Thursday, September 21, Dr Spio Garbrah spelt out his vision for the NDC in these words: “A social democratic party able to unite all its members, strengthen its structures, improve its image, and forge such alliances as will make it win the 2008 and subsequent elections…”

The issue of keeping the NDC together is probably the biggest problem facing the party with any viable chance of unseating the NPP in 2008. Speaking to party members at Ho on Saturday, Minority Leader Alban S K Bagbin, called on NDC activists, supporters and sympathisers to persuade those who had defected from the party to return.

“We need everybody back in the NDC. It is our home,” he cried.

A sign of things to come against the NDC with the formation of DFP was shown at the ostensibly non-partisan district assembly elections, where the influence of Dr Asamoah was felt by the NDC, especially in the Volta Region.

Whilst a vote for the Reform Party was considered to be strategically a waste in 2000, political analysts are united in their view that the defections which led to its formation, dealt a heavy electoral blow to the NDC.

Some analysts even anticipate a far heavier negative impact on the NDC by the party formed by its former national chairman and others, after the high profile defections which started after last December’s Koforidua congress.

But, back in Koforidua, where the violence and intimidation during the elections of party executives led to the defections, Spio conceded that the NDC still needs to embrace more openness and tolerance.

He stressed, without giving details, to reporters that he had workable plans to go into open dialogue with other political parties in opposition to form an alliance capable of winning the 2008 elections. He 'revealed’ that he had already on the “quiet” started talking to some of the leaders of those parties, and he believed progress was being made in that direction. All he needed, he told the press, was the mandate of delegates to seal the deal and put the NDC on track to becoming the party to form the next government.

With the NDC congress to elect its flagbearer taking place from December 16 to 17, Dr Spio Garbrah appears to have a steep task in catching up with the run-away Mills. He is, however, pressing home his main point that the delegates should choose the person who can best win them the general elections, and not be overly influenced by old loyalties.