Politics of Friday, 15 April 2011

Source: abena asiedua tenkorang/ xfm 95.1

FONKAR accusing the NDC¹s party Chairman

Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR) is accusing the NDC¹s party Chairman and Organizer of influencing some regional party executives with money to declare support for President John Mills.

FONKAR has been calling on the Former First Lady to contest the flagbearership race. Nana Konadu has subsequently resigned her position as the party¹s Vice Chairperson, citing the need to respond to the numerous calls on her to contest the flagbearership of the NDC when nominations are opened.

However, some regional party executives have publicly declared support for President Mills¹ candidature. First it was the Ashanti Regional Executive followed by the Volta Region and the Northern Region.

But FONKAR is convinced some national party executives are busily at work, influencing the regional executives with money to declare their support for President Mills.

Spokesperson for FONKAR, Dela Coffie tells Xfm 95.1 those declarations by the regional executives are all stage-managed.

³I can tell you for a fact that the party¹s General Secretary is busily involved in this shameless thing. They are going round giving people money; the General Secretary and the National Organizer, going round giving people money to sign a letter of undertaking to declare their so-called support for President Mills².

Dela Coffie says he has got a copy of the letter of undertaking, saying that the NDC national delegates know better, and would not vote for President Mills as the flagbearer.

He says the party executives have resorted to this because they have realized that President Mills stands no chance of winning the slot a second time, adding that the forced declaration would spell doom for the party.

³Let me tell you something, the NDC delegates know better. Indeed if these people who are declaring their so-called support for President Mills are not being influenced, they would have done it without anybody forcing them to. It is like a contract between the party head quarters and the individual involved. We have reports of other executives who have said they are not part of these decisions. He (President Mills) knows that he is going to be booted out so the only option would be to go out there and stage-manage these things for people to declare their support for him².

However, Mr. Coffie maintains Nana Konadu and FONKAR are unperturbed as ³the party people on the ground are sick and tired of President Mills¹ unfulfilled promises. The people are disenchanted with his administration; they want to see his back and I am telling you that come congress, the party people who understand the NDC and have been there for the NDC all this while would troop out there to vote for somebody who embodies the true spirit of the NDC².

Story by Abena Asiedua Tenkorang/ Xfm 95.1/ Accra/ Ghana