General News of Tuesday, 1 November 2022

Source: Richard Asamoah

New NDC executives must not hero worship Mahama - Ex-NDC Executive

John Dramani Mahama John Dramani Mahama

A former Executive Member of the Tema East Constituency branch of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Stephen Ashitey Adjei, has advised newly elected Constituency executives of the party to fight every temptation to hero-worship former president John Mahama. In a write-up on happenings in the party, Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, warns that any such worshipful attitude will undermine unity in the party and also serve to trap those who hero-worship Mahama themselves. “First off, the NDC is a Congress meaning there is no point-man in the party. Therefore, to worship him as a hero is to undermine the very spirit of the party which is the last thing we want to do going into the next election,” Moshake warned. He adds that, “secondly, the new executives should understand that Mr. Mahama is now a very transient personality in the party because constitutionally, he can only serve one more term as president if even he wins the next election. If you hero-worship him and make unnecessary enemies for yourself, you harm your own future in politics.” The advice comes in the aftermath of the party’s constituency elections which came off over the weekend. He urged the new executives to be exampled by what has happened in the past in the NDC and the NPP as well. “they should remember what happened between Professor Mills and Ekwow Spio Gabrah – after all the insults that were rained on professor Mills, he won and became president and many of the executives who had sided with Spio Gabrah became alienated and at the end of the day, Spio Gabrah got an appointment as Trade Minister while they hung on the fringes of government. “Again, they should remember what happened between Akufo-Addo and Alan Kyeremanten in the lead-up to Akufo-Addo becoming President – at the end of a fierce primary in which some people were hospitalized, Akufo-Addo became president and appointed Alan Kyeremanten as Minister of Trade. However, all the executives who took the side of Alan Kyeremanten and insulted Akufo-Addo got nothing.” Moshake, therefore, warned the new executives to, “tread cautiously because nobody knows tomorrow.” Meanwhile, the NDC firebrand has congratulated all the new executives and urged them to work hard for the NDC to win the 2024 elections, “irrespective of whoever becomes our next flag bearer.”