The Ashanti Regional branch of the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR) has been dissolved.

This comes barely two weeks after the dissolution of FONKAR in the Northern Region of Ghana. A leading member of the group, Abu Sadiq who disclosed this to Citi News said it was a unanimous decision taken by the FONKAR members to demonstrate their commitment to campaign for President John Mills ahead of the 2012 elections.

Below is a full statement issued by the group later to announce their decision:

Just as the moon draws, by its gravitational force, the waves to the shore, so also His Excellency Jerry Rawlings drew us with the strength of his charisma and teachings into NDC.

We all by attraction converged as members of NDC to be counted as FONKAR to protect, promote, project and to proclaim the good leadership qualities and outstanding contributions of the Rawlingses to the NDC party and to the country Ghana.

This occurred at the time when there were discussions about their role in the party and its impact on the rank and file and the state of affairs in the country.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are proud to have stood by them to be counted. However, events happening within the party and the country as a whole indicate that unity within the party is essentially very critical and paramount and we must do everything prudently possible to achieve it.

Following the resolve of the National Council to dissolve FONKAR at an emergency extraordinary meeting in the Central Region a few weeks ago during which our Regional Coordinator led a delegation; we wish to state that we support in principle and in action in totality the dissolution of FONKAR. This is because, we as members of NDC can no longer continue to sit on the fence and keep a blind eye as our dirty linen is being washed in public to the detriment of our party.

It is worth noting that FONKAR was never diametrically opposed to our party, the NDC. Indeed we came together as a group to defend and protect the legacy of the Rawlingses and for that matter NDC. In this light, after the Sunyani Congress, we the members of the defunct FONKAR felt obliged as loyal and committed members of the NDC family to put the past behind us and heed to the numerous calls to return to the fold in the supreme interest of the unity of our party NDC.

We are happy that we have collectively taken a decision to dissolve FONKAR. Our only wish and task now is that, we must all without exception work hard to see peace and tranquility thrive within the rank and file of our party.

It has become evidently clear as I speak that Ghanaians will not forgive us as a party should we complacently miss this God-given opportunity and to allow our dear country to fall into the hands of the nation wrecking NPP again after the recent eight (8) wasted years in our developmental struggle which witnessed flitching/stealing of state coffers, properties and wanton abuse of power.

For the sake of mother Ghana, members of NDC must close their ranks to form a strong phalanx, efficient and effective team to protect and save the nation.

It is no secret, events unfolding before our eyes today affirm that our opponents covertly infiltrated our camp and are using some of our people to do their divisive bidding. The recent fabricated and unsubstantiated allegations by a few appointed officers of the defunct FONKAR which we would not like to elaborate or discuss, gave all members of the defunct FONKAR a cause to worry.

The time has come for us to take cue from what a former President of the USA ,John Kennedy, once said and to apply it in our context that, ‘we should not ask what our party will do for us always; but ask what we can do for our party at this critical point in time’. Our party needs unity and we shall not deny our party our support and contribution in achieving and making this noble ambition permanently a reality. As we unite with our mother party, we fulfill the role expected of each and every NDC member to live up to the essence of our motto – Unity, Stability and Development.

It is on the account of this that we support and endorse the dissolution of FONKAR in order not to bring the name and reputation of NDC and the Rawlingses into disrepute.

Ladies and gentlemen, we call on all NDC members to protect the heritage and conscientiously work harder towards unity which is a prerequisite to retaining power, to selflessly continue to serve the party and to build a Better Ghana that we are committed to deliver.

We are very happy to say that almost all the targets in our manifesto have already been fulfilled. The performance of our government has been phenomenal, very, very impressive and second to none. Let me recount few of our achievements in the Ashanti Region; (FIND ATTACHED THE VARIOUS ACHIEVEMENTS IN ASHANTI)

Again, ladies and gentlemen, we wish to assure everybody that as social democrats, we have not changed at all but have qualitatively been transformed into matured and discernable team players for 2012 elections. Moreover, we must emphasize that the lessons learnt and experiences gained instruct us to do everything prudent to avoid division, and disunity which will ultimately weaken our front hence we welcome the dissolution of FONKAR in fulfillment of the wider vision of unity.

For this reason, we wish to re-emphasize the point that our action today is not born out of any selfish or parochial reflection but for the good cause of the party to stay united, focused as a team determined to win the 2012 elections cost effectively. From now on, let our battle cry be; away with divisionism, away with falsehood, away with individualism, long live collectivism and long live unity.

The Founder of our party His Excellency President Jerry John Rawlings has called for unity among the rank and file and we have heeded. Now, all of us must work as a united force and win a re-sounding victory in the elections in 2012 here in Ashanti Region. But before then, let us all register to vote.

What a sight it would be to uphold and what a moment of tears of joy it would be for us the Youth, the rank and file of our great party to see our leaders holding hands and singing our party’s anthem, ‘from victory unto victory the NDC shall lead’ signifying that Ghana shall be peaceful, Ghana shall remain united, Ghana shall continue to be stable and Ghana shall continue to develop uninterrupted.

LONG LIVE GHANA. LONG LIVE NDC LONG LIVE H. E. JOHN EVANS ATTA MILLS (PRESIDENT OF GHANA) LONG LIVE H. E. JOHN JERRY RAWLINGS (PARTY FOUNDER)**