Politics of Friday, 7 September 2018

Source: 3news.com

No Mahama songs at NDC functions – Alabi camp demands

Prof. Joshua Alabi, former Vice Chancellor of UPSA Prof. Joshua Alabi, former Vice Chancellor of UPSA

Members of the Professor Joshua Alabi campaign team have called on national executives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to put measures in place against the use of songs that will subtly promote any of the presidential nominee aspirants.

Addressing journalists in Accra on Thursday, the campaign team said functions of the NDC “should be strictly party messages and songs”.

The largest opposition party is gearing up for its presidential primary on December 7, 2018.

Already, over 10 aspirants have submitted their letters of intent to contest the primary.

Among the aspirants is two-time flagbearer John Dramani Mahama, who won his first shot at the presidency in 2012, beating current president Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

But four years later, he lost in a surprise first round election to Mr Akufo-Addo.

Unsurprisingly, campaign songs of the NDC have had as their central theme Mr Mahama and the late Paa Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur.

Therefore, the demand of the Joshua Alabi camp is believed to be aimed at Mr Mahama, who has already had the support of some Members of Parliament (MPs).

“We from the Alabi camp believe that our support base, the grassroots and others, feel that we need a new message,” said spokesperson Victor Kojogah Adawudu.

“We need a new leader.”

Mr Adawudu called for a level-playing field during campaign for the December internal polls.

“As leaders of the party at various levels, when there [are] party functions and programmes, they should not be used to give some aspirants undue advantage over others by underlying campaign messages and songs of particular aspirants to be used at such functions.”