CAMPAIGN strategists of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) appear to have lost confidence in the flagbearer, Prof John Evans Atta Mills, as they devise strategies to whip up the party’s campaign towards the December elections.

At a meeting of NDC top gurus recently, it was agreed that the campaign was too tough to be left in the hands of the flagbearer.

It was therefore agreed that the running mate, John Dramani Mahama should be the rallying point because he was young and strong.

John’s name had come up very strongly in party circles, pushing the flagbearer to the background.

Just last week, NDC National Organiser, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo referred to the running mate’s campaign as very effective, without touching on the flagbearer’s who started the campaign 20 months ago with his ‘house-to-house’ and ‘room-to-room’.

John, according to sources, had been tasked to take charge of the Brong Ahafo and three northern regions, visiting and campaigning in every town and village in the four regions, while the flagbearer, Prof Mills would follow his running mate’s tracks in a mop-up exercise.

According to the NDC gurus, Prof Mills should for now concentrate on his home regions of Central and Western in order to change his electoral fortunes. The two regions were his electoral waterloo in the two previous elections.

The strategic meeting resolved that the founder Jerry John Rawlings should lead the third team, while Dr Kwabena Adjei, national chairman, would operate from the rear, starting from his home region of Volta.

Mr Rawlings would chart a path for himself, with nobody interfering in his programme.

The issue of inadequate finance was also critically examined as the NDC was pronounced bankrupt.

The meeting, which was also attended by a Convention People’s Party (CPP) turncoat, was unanimous that the NDC’s campaign was not flying, calling for extra oxygen to give it a new lease of life.

The NDC strategists conceded that the party could not match the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) pound-for-pound in advertising and logistics and therefore should reserve the little resources for October and November when the electioneering campaign would have reached the home stretch.

However, the NDC’s immediate challenge was how to get more billboards of the flagbearer erected across the country to portray a healthy party, even though an analysis by the CPP deserter showed clearly that the NDC was losing.

The hawks at the meeting were hopeful that power was within reach, because Ghanaians were fed up with the ruling party.

But the CPP turncoat was categorical that the NDC was daydreaming, pointing out that the NPP would not sleep for the NDC to snatch power from under its nose.

The lone voice in the NDC camp stated that the main opposition party was losing the campaign to NPP.

He warned that the opposition party would laugh at the wrong side of its mouth, if it continued to dream that Ghanaians were fed up with the NPP after eight years in power.

The CPP man stressed that the NDC would wake up on December 8th to find out that it had lost power again if the current trend continued.

The meeting, according to sources, took a critical look at the apathy characterizing activities at the party’s strongholds particularly in Northern and Volta regions where the flagbearer appeared to have turned a blind eye to.

They said the party’s branches in these regions had been abandoned, accusing the flagbearer of taking them for granted.

Some of the gurus at the meeting pointed out that the people did not really belong to the party and therefore they could change their minds and vote for other parties.