John Mahama doesn’t support Aseidu Nketiah as NDC national chairman
If nothing goes wrong at the last minute, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) will hold its delegates’ congress this Saturday, December 17, 2022, at the Accra Sports Stadium to elect the national executives, such as the General Secretary, National Chairman, and National Communications Director, among others.
But before the election this weekend, there have been a lot of last-minute jabs and bombshells. The most recent one came from a former High Commissioner to the UK and Ireland, who said that the party’s likely candidate for the 2024 election, John Dramani Mahama, doesn’t want Johnson Asiedu Nketiah to be NDC National Chairman.
Victor Smith, who used to work as a special assistant to the late President Jerry John Rawlings, said that former President Mahama and other NDC leaders told Mr. Asiedu Nketiah not to run for the party chairmanship against the current leader, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, because it would cause unnecessary tension and division in the party’s rank and file, but he didn’t listen.
Victor Smith, a supporter of former President Mahama, also said that the outgoing NDC General Secretary wanted to be the party’s running mate in the 2020 elections but was turned down.
This was before Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang was chosen.
Mr. Smith, who used to be the minister for the Eastern Region, said that the fact that Mr. Asiedu Nketiah was turned down by President Mahama made him angry, which is why he went against his advice and ran for the party chairmanship.
Citizen Kofi Owusu’s show “Adekye Mu Nsem” on Ahotor FM was where Mr. Smith said, “He had it (the plan to be running mate) in 2020.
I said that JM (John Dramani Mahama) had different ideas after talking to the leaders. Someone should come to tell me if this isn’t true.
“When the General Secretary called me one night and said he wanted to run for party chairman, I told him he was going to cause trouble in the party. But the general secretary said he had already decided what to do.
“I told him that his move would cause some secrets to getting out, but he didn’t listen. John Dramani Mahama and the leaders of his party told him not to run, but he said he had already made up his mind and that it was a democracy, which he said in Twi.
Victor Smith asked the NDC delegates to keep Ofosu Ampofo as National Chairman and think about Asiedu Nketiah as the campaign manager for 2024.
He said that since Asiedu Nketiah is telling the NDC in his campaign that he is brave and doesn’t fear anything, it would be right to make him the campaign manager to move the machine toward 2024.
“…2024 is coming up, so we make him the campaign manager to move the machine because that’s what he says he can do. But he can’t be chairman because he’s looking in the wrong direction unless he has a hidden agenda,” he said.
“In fact, what he is trying to do, his chairmanship, wouldn’t help us as a party based on what he said he would do for us: “I am fearless.” Fearless of what? When you’re not in charge? You are just the chairman, and you lead meetings of the FEC and NEC,” he said.
Kojo Adu Asare, a former MP for the Adenta constituency, also spoke on Simpieso, a political talk show on the same Ahotor FM on Friday, December 9, 2022, with Emmanuel Martey and Alaska De Don. He asked why the “so-called” brave Asiedu Nketiah wasn’t there during the Ayawaso bye-election.
Mr. Adu Asare said that Chairman Ofosu Ampofo’s comments about the boycott of the Ayawaso bye-election by the party’s general secretary were unfortunate.
He said that they thought the general secretary would know better, and he asked if it was a good idea for him to go out of the country to pursue his own personal interests when a very important election was coming up.
“…was that the best time to travel abroad? He said, “According to his calculations, knowing the time and season, was that the best time to travel?”
“You left your party to pursue something that will help you. After you came back, you weren’t here, you didn’t see it, and you didn’t even smell it. But you call the person who had to make such a big decision a weakness?
“Who is braver? The one who ran away or the one who faced the challenge?” he asked.
He said that a person’s track record says a lot about them and can show if they are brave or just saying it with their mouths.
“I’ve tested Asiedu Nketiah’s courage, and there’s nothing to show,” he said. “If Asiedu Nketiah’s son had been shot at Ayawaso, he wouldn’t be saying those things.”
The byelection in Ayawaso was held on January 31, 2019, because the sitting MP, Emmanuel Kyermateng Agyarko, died on November 21, 2018.
Two hours after the election started, there was violence near the La-Bawaleshie polling station, which hurt some members of the NDC in different ways.
Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, the National Chairman, said that the NDC would not run in the election because members of the party were being threatened and attacked by people who said they worked for national security.
READ ALSO: Today’s Exchange Rate as Cedi depreciates marginally
Send Stories | Social Media | Disclaimer
Send Stories and Articles for publication to [email protected]
We Are Active On Social Media
WhatsApp Channel: JOIN HERE
2024 BECE and WASSCE Channel - JOIN HERE
Facebook: JOIN HERE
Telegram: JOIN HERE
Twitter: FOLLOW US HERE
Instagram: FOLLOW US HERE
Disclaimer:
The information contained in this post on Ghana Education News is for general information purposes only. While we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the post for any purpose.