Alban Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament and a former National Democratic Congress (NDC) flag bearer hopeful, has encouraged his party in the face of current tribulations that members are going through, is just a test of character.

He noted that the party had survived even worst trials in the past than it was currently suffering, insisting that “if you compare what we are going through under the Akufo-Addo-led administration to what we went through under the Kufuor-led administration, this is child’s play because under the Kufuor-led administration Tsatsu Tsikata was jailed.”

Mr Bagbin, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Nadowli/Kaleo, indicated that “Victor Selormey died in prison after being convicted under very controversial conditions, Kwame Peprah and Dan Abodakpi were not spared, but we survived and returned to power for two terms.

He urged his party to be strong in the face of intimidations that the Akufo-Addo-led administration was putting members of the party through, “among others the Akufo-Addo-led administration has paraded Dr Stephen Opuni, former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, before court on charges of importing powdery fertiliser rather than liquid ones.

“On the party level, three National Executives of the party, including National Chairman, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, have been charged by the Police for supposedly conspiring to commit crime on the basis of a secretly recorded tape that has been heavily spliced.

“Against the backdrop of all this, President Akufo-Addo has taken advantage of the disgruntlement of one of the NDC’s own, former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Martin Amidu, to hound the NDC, appointing him as special prosecutor to target appointees in the former NDC government.

“Many are the troubles that surround the NDC, but we will overcome because we have overcome before, I was Minority Leader when a National Reconciliation Commission was set up to embarrass leading members of the NDC, I urge the rank and file of the NDC to be strong, since our party will not only survive, it will also return to power,” Mr Bagbin assured.