Politics of Tuesday, 12 June 2007

Source: THE SUN

NPP Aspirants Bully MPs

THE SUN has picked a worrisome development within the New Patriotic Party (NPP) concerning what insiders have described as, crude, negative and disturbing tactics being employed by some Ministers aspiring for the party’s presidential slot come December.

According to skin-on-head party sources, some of the guilty Ministers have started bullying MPs to either throw their entire weight right behind them, or be prepared to sea-saw in the wallowing game of political quagmire, should they be picked as presidential candidates to lead the party.

THE SUN has gathered that some of the Ministers have had the audacity to tell MPs to the face that, whoever played the buffoonery by being recalcitrant to throw their weights behind them, should not dream of development for their areas when they ascend the position.

In order to gain favour before the contesting Ministers, MPs have now learnt to leave Accra for their constituencies ostensibly in the bandwagon of these aspirants during their campaign tours, a close aid to one of the affected MPs told THE SUN last week.

“The race is becoming unbearable and desperate for some of the aspirants and they are employing detestable means, including pulling other colleagues down in their bid to climb to the top”, the crest-fallen aide told THE SUN.

THE SUN can say authoritatively that most of the MPs would not want to go on record over the development, but then they are not amused whatsoever and are impatiently waiting for the impending ministerial reshuffle.

“These Ministers must thank God that the President has decided to withhold the reshuffle, until after the AU Summit. They would have been set aside for us to have our peace of minds,” an aide to the MP who pleaded anonymity told THE SUN. As THE SUN prodded on with its investigations, it realised how sad certain Ministers exploited incumbency to gain undue advantage over others, in the bizarre attempt to gain the mantle to lead the NPP, thought in several circles to be the most appealing of all political parties nationwide. THE SUN