General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketia has rejected the claims that the purported presidential ambition of the former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, is affecting the stability of the party.
He has strongly given the assurance that the NDC is not in any way panicky or perturbed by the number of people who would want to contest for the flagbearership position provided they are NDC members and eligible to stand for elections.
Speaking in an interview with Peace FM News, General Mosquito as the NDC General Secretary is popularly known said even though the NDC was not pleased with the reported news that the party is threatened by the former First Lady’s decision to contest for the flagbearership position, the party considers it as an entrenchment of its internal democracy.
According to him, suggestions that the party’s front was divided were untrue, stressing that the NDC was solidly united as one family, with the objective of bringing peace and development to the good people of Ghana.
He said the party will not stand in anybody’s way or prevent anybody in the party who wants to contest for the flagbearership position.
“The NDC is not perturbed by Nana Konadu’s decision to contest the sitting President for the flagbearership of the party so I don’t understand why some journalists are making a fuss about this. If there is a vacancy for a particular position in the party and two or three people want to contest, what is the big deal about it… the party is not panicked in any way,” he stressed.
He emphasized that the NDC believes in internal democracy and that guides the party in its endeavors.
"You cannot claim to lead a democratic government when, within your own party, you do not accept internal democracy that will amount to hypocrisy, and the NDC is not noted for that. We believe in total freedom and expression of opinion," he said.
To him, if the NPP did not panic when Alan Kyeremanteng and three others contested Nana Addo for the flagbearership, why should the NDC panic because Nana Konadu wants to contest for a position in the NDC.
He added that insofar as Nana Konadu is a staunch member of the NDC and the constitution mandates the party to give every member equal opportunity to contest for any position provided he or she is qualified, the onus as to who leads the NDC party in the 2012 election will depend on the delegates and the party will give the person elected the needed support to win the 2012 General Elections, not excluding the former First Lady.
The NDC Chief Scribe, however, minced no words in asserting that it is the media who are bent on sowing seeds of discord and creating disaffection among members of the party.