Ominous rift in NDC

... As Ibrahim Adam enters northern regional contest

The upcoming elections of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in the Northern Region, particularly for the Regional Vice Chairmanship slot, are likely to breed division and confusion in the party.

This premonition stems from the numerous allegations and attacks from the camps of the two gurus of the party, Alhaji Sumani Zakaria, the incumbent Vice Chairman, and his keen contender, former Minister of Food and Agriculture, Ibrahim Adam.

The two personalities have so far declared their intention to contest the regional vice chairman?s position.

Fresh allegations coming from some sections of the NDC members indicate that, Mr. Adam, who is indisputably the brightest luminary for the sitting vice chairman, did not qualify to contest for any position in the party, with regard to the party?s constitution.

This was because Mr. Adam, according to the report, had ever been jailed and did not register in his constituency.

The information has it also that, most farmers in the region were seriously angry at him because of his inability to handle the cotton industry, which was one of the main sources of income for majority of the people, when he was the Minister for Food and Agriculture.

Meanwhile, the sitting Regional Vice Chairman, Alhaji Sumani Zakaria who is still aiming high to retain his position, is said to be creating division among the party leaders and other members and is reportedly at loggerheads with the former president, Jerry John Rawlings.

All efforts by the paper to get Mr. Adam to comment on the issues proved unsuccessful, but Alhaji Sumani denied having problems with Mr. Rawlings or creating division in the party.

?To my best of knowledge, there is nothing like bad blood between I and anybody in NDC. My aim now is to help develop the party,? he said.

The NDC Northern Regional Vice Chairman told The Chronicle source that, uniting the party members through understanding and dialogue would be strictly adhered to, to ensure peace and tolerance within and outside the party.

However, Alhaji Sumani confirmed that, the Constitution of the NDC and that of 1992 did not allow his competitor, Mr. Ibrahim, to vie for any position in the party or public position respectively, due to his purported past bad records.

He noted that, the party needed someone more marketable, hardworking and influential like him who would work assiduously to redeem the sinking image of the NDC for possible victory in the next general elections.

The Vice Chairman bemoaned that the work in the party had been left to only a few executives without the helping hands of officials like Adam Ibrahim.

?Since the downfall of the party in 2000, most of leading members have not done much towards the progress of NDC. We must all resolve to be in the vanguard of the campaign and shy away from indiscipline and laxity,? he urged.

Alhaji Zakaria appealed to the NDC members to encourage the conduct of the youth elections in the region, which had been postponed indefinitely in the interest of peace and security, on account of disturbances by some groups of persons. This is against the background that, the Women and Youth Delegates Congress held last week at the Tamale Workers College, ended abruptly when an alleged sympathizer of Ibrahim Adam arrived at the conference grounds and demanded the immediate resignation of the incumbent Regional Youth Organizer, Alhaji Libron, for their favourite, one Mr. Azoka to contest unopposed.

The Chronicle gathered that, the sympathizer arrived at the grounds, armed to the teeth, obviously to cause mayhem and it had to take the intervention of some leaders and security personnel detailed there, to avert an unpleasant occurrence.