Former President John Dramani Mahama
An Executive Member of the Tema East Constituency branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Stephen Ashitey Adjei, has said that former President John Mahama cannot unite the party if he is re-elected flagbearer of the NDC.
According to Mr. Ashitey Adjei, who is popularly called Moshake, evidence that Mr. Mahama is a polarizing, rather than a uniting figure in the NDC is evident in the fall away of many stalwarts of the party under his leadership.
“Whether it is Allotey Jacobs, Stephen Atubiga or Koku Anyidoho being sacked from the party, the cause is the same person, Mr. John Mahama. How can such a catalyst for disunity lead us to victory at a time that the party needs unity?” Moshake asked in frustration in an interview.
His frustration was triggered by latest infighting within the Tema West branch of the NDC that led to the arrest and detention of the Kaiser Branch chairman of the party at the instance of the Tema West constituency Chairman.
Mr. Joe Kwei, the Kaiser Branch Chairman, was picked up by the Police after Robert Pobee, the Constituency Chairman had reported Joe Kwei to the Police over allegation that he (Pobee) had received a bribe of Gh¢ 50,000 from the New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s current MP for Tema West, Carlos Ahenkorah, and worked against the NDC’s interest in the 2020 election so that Ahenkorah would win.
Last Thursday, the Police arrested Joe Kwei and detained him for offensive conduct after the Constituency Chairman reported him over the allegation.
“In situations like this, you would expect that the party would quickly step in and resolve matters, however, several SOS messages have been sent and more than a week since the arrest, nothing has happened.
“This is the state of our party and Mr. John Mahama is lacing his boots, nothing works!” Moshake lamented.
“And as if that is not enough, John Mahama who has been carrying himself as the de facto leader of the NDC has only been polarizing the party – just look at the stories of all those who have been expelled or suspended from the party and it is because of him.”
Moshake cited for instance that Mr. Mahama appears to have taken sides in the family feud between Victoria Hamah and her brother, Lord Hamah, saying, “such divisive behaviour only destroys.
“When Mr. Mahama visited the funeral of Victoria Hamah’s late father, Lord Hamah was sick and on admission at hospital, he ignored him,” Moshake pointed out.
He added that recently, a Constituency Vice Chairman died, “and expectation was that the man who carries himself as our party leader would attend and commiserate with our loss, but he did not…”
According to Moshake, another symptom of Mr. Mahama’s polarization within the party is that its National Communications Officer and other loyalists of JM have been attacking and alienating stalwarts of the NDC, including the leadership of the minority caucus in parliament.
Meanwhile, the Kaiser Branch Chairman of the NDC, Joe Kwei, has petitioned the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards Bureau (PIPS) over his arrest and detention saying it was unlawful.
He points out that one Eric Arthur, Executive member of Tema West NDC, the man who allegedly led Robert Pobee, the Tema West Constituency Chairman to Carlos Ahenkorah for the bribe, had declared that what happened in Guinea would be replicated in Ghana, implying that Ghana will soon see a coup, but that the Police have not been interested in that statement.
It has also emerged that calls that Moshake made to the party headquarters over the issue has finally elicited action, with the Tema West Constituency Executives being invited to Accra on Tuesday to meet with regional executives, including Mr. Theophilus Tetteh Chaie.