Although the race to elect a flag bearer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the 2020 general election has not kicked off, aides of former President John Dramani Mahama have reportedly started attacking Joshua Alabi, one of the party’s presidential hopefuls.

Spearheading the politics of attacks on Prof Joshua Alabi, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Professional Studies Accra (UPSA), is Stanislav Dogbe.

On his Facebook wall on Monday, 1st January, 2018, Mr Stan Dogbe took on the professor, describing him as an ‘attention seeker’ who is doing everything possible to be president.

Mr Dogbe, former Head of Communication Bureau at the Flag Staff House, said that Mr Alabi had been chasing the ex-president around and virtually stalking him at party programmes, so as to share in the attention that people give the former leader.

He stated, “Alabi’s ‘I must at all cost be President’ dream will be better helped if he focuses on himself and the NDC and how to go ahead of his competitors, not chasing John Mahama.”

The trusted aide and confidant of the former president, in a debate with some supporters of Professor Joshua Alabi, said his boss is too big “to fight over space with persons struggling and shoving each other for attention at especially party events.”

Mr Stan Dogbe didn’t provide any reason for his attack on colleague party guru, except to say, “It’s interesting reading over the last one year, words of insults, false claims and attacks on the person of President John Mahama, and extended sometimes to some who worked with him by supporters of, agents of, and workers for Joshua Alabi.”

Alabi’s Supporters React

Dogbe, who wasn’t able to back his claim with any evidence, infuriated the supporters of Prof Alabi over the alleged false claims and insults on their boss, and also fired back at him (Dogbe).

Some of the NDC ‘Facebookers’ expressed worry and disgust at the unprovoked attacks on the former vice chancellor, who had a day earlier asked party supporters in Ho, Volta Region, to shake hands and speak well of one another.

Prof Alabi, in a short address during the 31st December ‘revolution’ celebration at the Volta Regional capital, said, “Please turn round and shake the hands of your colleagues, and tell them, ‘from today onwards, we are no longer going to make any negative comments about each other. We will project only the positives, because we all have something positive to offer the NDC.’”

In response to Stan Dogbe’s attacks, Prof Joshua Alabi’s supporters stated that their preferred candidate was not struggling for attention.

Some of them posted, “Prof is not an attention seeker. He was sitting down and minding his business when suddenly President Rawlings mentioned his name and invited him to the microphone.

Others stated, “Prof Joshua Alabi has never said ‘I MUST BE PRESIDENT AT ALL COST.’ His countenance, approach, conduct and rise never show. Anybody saying this about Prof Joshua Alabi is not being truthful.”

In his swift response to the attacks on the former UPSA VC, the immediate-past Member of Parliament (MP) for La Dadekotopon Constituency in Accra, Nii Amasah Namoale, described the attacks on his Facebook wall as premature, adding, “JM was not the president and later became president. Alabi is not president and if God permits he shall be president ok, Stan Xoese Dogbe.”