Even before the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) comes out with a definite date for its upcoming national congress, incumbent party Chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei, has started raising concerns about attempts by some influential persons in the party to use money to influence the votes of delegates.
The congress is slated for Kumasi later this year.
In a statement, he said, “Experiences from the recently held regional conferences foretell the undemocratic behaviours likely to characterise the forthcoming Kumasi congress”, a situation he said is “anticipated to be even worse than what happened in Koforidua in 2005 if what I pick from the grapevine has any atom of truth.”
According to him, “It is also rumoured that some party members who do not contribute a pesewa to the party for its grassroots operations have amassed so much money which they intend to use to influence the election of their favourites at the national congress.”
This, he said, was because “the unprofessional handling of the 2005 Koforidua congress led to the breakaway of a faction of the NDC led by the very National Chairman who organised that historic Koforidua congress in the first place.”
His fear was that, “it has the potential of annihilating great NDC within the shortest possible time,” stressing the need for those behind any such plan to be wary.
“Whosoever in his or her desperation for power is orchestrating these alleged diabolical plans is making a fatal political mistake and should desist from actualizing it in the supreme interest of the party and state,” he noted, insisting that “the monkey-de-work-baboon-de-chop political disorder must stop!”
Furthermore, the man, famously known as ‘Wayoo Wayo’ said, “It must stop now to save the NDC from disintegration and total destruction!”
He continued that “the earlier delegates and other party members begin to appreciate that the NDC is not for sale to the highest bidder, the better the NDC’s chances are as a robust and surviving political party.”
He has, therefore, warned against anybody bringing, displaying or distributing money and other items that are intended to influence delegates before and during the national congress.
Aside that, he also cautioned people “not to stir up hatred or violence using the services of the so-called macho men on congress grounds and hooting at or embarrass any congress candidate, delegate or elder on the congress grounds.”
That, he said, was because “the incumbent NDC National Executive Committee (NEC) which is organising the 2014 National Congress shall not be held responsible for any untoward act emanating from the failure on the part of any party member to heed the foregoing pieces of advice.”
NEC, he according to him, “Shall neither protect any person enacting specified or unspecified disciplinary conducts inimical to the smooth and safe running of the impending national congress”, while asking the rank and file of the party to dedicate themselves to making the Kumasi congress as smooth, clean and peaceful as ever.
For him, “Anything in the form of undemocratic behaviours, negative campaigns, violent elections, blatantly unethical and unprofessional campaign conduct would invariably serve to derail the party and threaten its survival.”
“Party chieftains and members should always be reminded of the fundamental principles of probity, accountability and responsibility which form the foundation on which the NDC is built,” he advised.
