Former Minister of Defence Benjamin Bewa-Nyog Kunbuor has backed calls for an early congress for the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He says as per the current constitution, which requires election of local executives before the presidential primary, NDC will have only nine months to prepare for the 2020 polls.

There is a provision in the party’s constitution, however, which allows some waivers in special situations, he said.

Cadres of the opposition party on Wednesday, April 5 called for an early congress to end the despondence within the rank and file of the party.

Speaking on TV3’s News 360 on Wednesday, Dr Kunbuor, who has served in Parliament multiple times for Nandom Constituency, said the calls by the cadres should not be trifled with. “The cadres are an integral wing of the NDC,” he stressed.

He backed the cadres’ diagnosis of the perception of corruption as one of the factors that led to the humiliating defeat of the party in the 2016 pollls.

“It was not only there [but] it had been deep,” he pointed out. “This perception had also been bought over by some of our members.”

‘Not informed signals’

He called for unity and strongly rejected the phenomenon of throwing of names of flagbearer contestants in the media space by some activists.

“Nobody should be goaded into running for a position,” he opined.

He said even his name coming up as one of those interested in contesting the presidential primary should not be believed. “They are not informed signals.”

He said there will be speculations all over “but the decision to contest will be mine”.