A Political Science Lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Dr Kwasi Amakye-Boateng, has stated this weekend’s planned delegates congress of the National Democratic Party (NDP), cannot take away the shine of the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) manifesto launch on Monday, September 7.

According to him, J.J Rawlings’ invitation and subsequent acceptance as the guest speaker at the outdooring of the NDP’s flagbearer, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who is also his wife, doesn’t mean he has frustrated the NDC.

In an interview on the ‘An?pa B?fo’ morning show on Angel 102.9 FM Thursday, Dr Amakye-Boateng told host, Captain Smart, that “I don’t expect that the activities of NDP would really take any shine at all out of the NDC’s [manifesto launch].”

The Rawlings factor

Mr Rawlings is the Founder of the biggest opposition party on whose ticket his daughter, Dr Zanetor Agyemang Rawlings, contested in 2016 and won to represent the people of Klottey-Korle in the Parliament of Ghana.

Rawlings’ wife, Konadu also fell out with the party of her husband ahead of the 2016 general elections and formed the NDP. She polled a little over 17,000 votes in that election.

The NDP has invited Mr Rawlings as a guest speaker at its third National Delegates Congress and outdooring of the flagbearer for the 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections. The events are scheduled to take place on Friday and Saturday, September 4 and 5, 2020.

But Dr. Amakye maintained the NDC would come out strong based on the theme and vision of their manifesto and how those contents relate to the needs and development of Ghanaians.

He added that he expects J.J Rawlings to accept the invitation to be the guest speaker at his [Rawlings] wife’s acclamation as flagbearer of the NDP.

“I expect any husband who wants to keep his family, to honour such invitation. He [Rawlings] would definitely not allow his family to break up on account of politics,” he reiterated.

The Senior Lecturer at KNUST stated that this is an era where ideas contest ideas hence, media coverage of NDP’s congress would not impact the manifesto launch of the NDC.

To him, whether one event outshines the other or not, is of little significance as opposed to the dominance of the issues being discussed at the said events.

Just for the record?

Pollster Ben Ephson, who also shared his opinion on the launch of the NDP’s congress a few days to the NDC’s manifesto launch, sided with Dr Amakye-Boateng.

The pollster stated that Rawlings’ presence as a guest speaker at NDP’s Congress can’t take the shine of the NDC.

To buttress his point, Ben Ephson stated that “Rawlings disclosed that he voted for his wife in the 2016 general elections”, however, smaller political parties don’t win elections because voters feel their votes would be ‘wasted’ on them.