An NDC youth group calling itself Youth For Victory -2012 (YFV-2012) have condemned in harsh terms four 'elder cadres' of the NDC for what they call their 'joint conspiracy' to blame others for their own wrongs.

The four include the Ahwoi brothers, (Ato and Kwamena Ahwoi), Kofi Totobi Kwakye, and P.V Obeng who recently issued a joint statement to accuse unnamed persons within the NDC of deliberately circulating 'scurrilous anonymous tracts' within NDC circles and selected media to vilify them. They described the action in their joint statement as an infantile conspiracy against their integrity.

But the NDC YFV-2012 group in a quick reaction says 'to put up a joint defense over individual characters is absurd to say the least. For a joint defense implies a joint character. And we think this can only be a joint conspiracy by this clique to blame other people for their own doing'.

They also blamed the four for being reckless, hypocritical and engaging in grand misconduct in their own parochial interests at the expense of the larger interest of the NDC party.

Below is a full text of the press release:

PRESS STATEMENT BY NDC YOUTH FOR VICTORY 2012 (YFV-2012)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Accra, Ghana 16th Feb. 2012

We read with great amusement a press statement jointly issued and signed by a clique of senior members of the NDC who call themselves ‘elder cadres’ in a response to what they claim are orchestrations by certain members of the NDC to denigrate them. In the statement which was jointly signed by Messrs P. V. Obeng, Kofi Totobi-Quakyi, Ato Ahwoi and Kwamena Ahwoi, the four sought to create the impression that they know the so-called people behind the distribution and circulation of ‘scurrilous anonymous tracts’ among party faithful as well as within some media circles meant to vilify them. They went further to praise themselves as having a sense of maturity just because they concealed the names of their accusers.

We wish to state categorically that we view the statement from these so-called ‘elder cadres’ of the NDC as completely immature, reckless, and hypocritical and a grand misconduct on their part.

We say it is reckless because if they are truly elder cadres of the party as they claim, they would be sitting down in close doors trying to resolve the issues been raised by them instead of lamenting and washing the party’s dirty linen in the media. Immature and hypocritical because they have accused others in the past of refusing to use the appropriate party structures rather than the media to address internal party grievances. And misconduct because, just as in the case of former A-G Martin Amidu who was dismissed for misconduct on the grounds that he failed to name the gargantuan criminals in his press statement; these so-called elder cadres have equally engaged in misconduct by not naming their accusers and should be given the same treatment meted out to Martin Amidu in the past in all fairness.

If they claim that by not naming their accusers in their press statement, it shows a sense of maturity then the same logic should have been applied to the former A-G unless some people in the NDC are more important than others.

To put up a joint defense over individual characters is absurd to say the least. For a joint defense implies a joint character. And we think this can only be a joint conspiracy by this clique to blame other people for their own doing.

Since when have these joint characters realized the negative effects of vilification within the NDC? Were these same characters now parading as elder cadres not linked in every way to the campaign of vilification and denigration of the NDC founder H.E Jerry John Rawlings, by ministers of state and party officials in the past three years? Why has it suddenly become urgent for them to come out to fight against so-called vilification when they have been culpable of the same misconduct?

It is obvious that these our so-called elder cadres do not see unity in the NDC as a precondition to the NDC’s victory in election 2012. Otherwise, what have they done to unify the party by this their open ‘joint defense’ of their personal characters? We demand of them to begin to show more concern for party cohesion rather than their own parochial interest if indeed they love the party.

We wish to also remind these so-called elder cadres that until they recognize and address the root cause of the problems in the NDC especially with the neglect of the grass root supporters and party founder, no amount of magic can bring victory to the NDC in 2012.

Again, we wish to call on president Mills to stamp his feet once and for all and demonstrate his ability to lead the NDC into the future by addressing the concerns raised by the party chairman in his letter to the president in which he called for an urgent meeting to discuss and to resolve problems arising. We do not see that sense of urgency on the part of president Mills in this regard. And we think that the ongoing acrimony is an indictment on his leadership of the party. Ten months to election 2012 is a short period and the president must bring unity to the NDC NOW or we face the greatest risk of losing the election and he should be prepared to take ultimate blame for it.

Signed:

John Vianney

Spokesman

NDC YOUTH FOR VICTORY 2012 (YFV-2012)

CONTACT: 020- 758 9080

Source: XfmNewsCenter | Ghana.