General News of Thursday, 16 February 2012

Source: peacefmonline

NDC Group Hits Back At P.V Obeng & co

Barely 24 hours after four stalwarts of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) reacted angrily to what they termed as a campaign of vilification being waged by some elements in the party against them by issuing a joint statement, a group calling itself NDC Youth For Victory 2012 is questioning the rationale behind the release of the statement by the four cadres.

The four; Messrs. Ato Ahwoi, Board Chairman of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC); Kwamena Ahwoi, a former Minister for Local Government; P. V Obeng, the chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) and Kofi Totobi-Quakyi, Chairman of the National Communications Authority (NCA) describe the alleged attacks on them by some unidentified persons within the party as infantile but insist it will not affect their dedication to the NDC.

In a joint statement released on Tuesday, they stated that the campaign of vilification against them in the NDC had assumed new dimensions in the wake of the Alfred Woyome saga even though they had no role to play either individually or collectively.

According to the statement, the publication being circulated in the form of a “scurrilous anonymous tract” seems to “ignore a fundamental truth that party solidarity aside; ultimately every individual must take responsibility for the consequences of his or her own actions.”

But speaking in an interview on Citi FM, spokesperson for the group, John Vanni accused the four of being self-centred. According to him, instead of the NDC kingpins being concerned with unifying and defending the integrity of the party, they are rather thinking of their own integrity and reputation.

To him, the party leadership has paralyzed that is why the cadres are thinking that their reputation is at stake.

“…Freedom, Justice, probity and accountability are now sold to the dogs…everybody gets up and writes statements here and there. First, it was the chairman of the NDC, now these cadres; who is going to be next? We were expecting that their statement will defend the party but it didn’t. What should happen is to resolve the problems in the party with the laid down principles…we will push the blame on the President…,” he said.

John Vanni was however quick to add that this habit of circulating faceless tracts and issuing statements here and there would not have been countenanced under the leadership of ex-President Jerry John Rawlings and indirectly accused President Mills of being a weak leader.

“Under former President Rawlings, what time did you hear that some people have complained in a statement through the media?” he quizzed.