JJ Rawlings (right) and John Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama and some elements in the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) have allegedly started political shenanigans to discredit “the relevance” of the founder of the main opposition party, Jerry John Rawlings.
The plot, said to be led by Mr Mahama, comes just after he (Mahama) reportedly ignored the Council of Elders of the opposition party, “and shoved the NDC running mate, Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, down the throat of the rank and file of the party amidst protestations from some of the kingpins in the party”.
As if that was not enough, Mr Mahama is now said to have moved into a new gear with alleged sponsored smear campaign against the founder “of the very party he wants to lead for the second time”, after abysmally performing the first time.
A staunch activist of the NDC, Dela Coffie, has described the clandestine move as something that will not help the party, going into the 2020 elections.
“What is so scandalous and materially ironic about this needless shenanigan is that the personalities leading this graceless attack against Rawlings are individuals who should know better. Disappointingly, they continue to yell themselves hoarse without telling us whether the attacks on Rawlings is going to fetch the NDC votes in the December elections,” he told the Daily Statesman.
Jane endorsement
Contrary to the publicly held view that the nomination of Prof Jane Opoku-Agyemang was widely accepted by the rank and file of the party, it has been revealed that former President Mahama deliberately cancelled the Council of Elders meeting, scheduled for July 6, at the last minute and went ahead to choose the former Vice-chancellor as his running mate
“There was serious opposition to the choice of Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman by the caucus of NDC regional chairmen, and even divisions and cracks at the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting over the nomination. In keeping to convention, there ought to be a Council meeting and then Council decision sent to NEC. This did not happen and I find it incongruous,” Dela Coffie has stated in an article.
According to Mr Coffie, the indecision of Mr Mahama was once again brought to bare after he failed to achieve consensus among the founder, Council of Elders and the other waring factions within NEC.
“It’s hard to imagine, let alone believe, that for the first time in the history of the fourth republic, NDC Council of Elders failed to meet to deliberate on a decision of a running mate, simply because the council members were diametrically opposed to the choice to be made,” he added.
Leadership failure
Dela Coffie added that more worrying is the fact that the current crop of NDC leadership seems to look on unconcerned as the former President and his cronies run affairs of the party like their personal property.
“Think about it. We are living in troubled times indeed. And it is not just Mahama that we must worry about. We should equally be concerned about the current manifestation of the entire NDC leadership—the leadership that reluctantly appeared to accept the running mate choice and now rubber stamps Mahama’s bizarre actions,” he stated.
“I just can’t get my head around the fact that these same elements who are doing everything possible to get the founder’s support still finds it prudent to put him up for ridicule,” he added.
Publicity stunt
Dela Coffie explained that there have been several, but unsuccessful, attempts to relegate the party’s founder to the background.
“I am trying silently to figure out the reasons for certain actions of our leaders which I find very offensive and incomprehensible. How could anyone in his or her sane mind claim that Jerry John Rawlings is in bed with the Akufo-Addo government, and therefore he is of no relevance to the NDC?” he wondered.
He continued: “Mahama needs to understand that faking a handshake with Jerry Rawlings is a recipe for political disaster – it is evidence that more than one and a half years in the role as the leader of the NDC haven’t helped Mahama settle into his job. In fact, if events surrounding the nomination of his running mate is any indication, things are less settled than ever. Indeed, the picture that emerges is one of a leader whose thinking isn’t grounded in reality and is instead fixated on unimportant things like publicity stunt.”
Source: Daily Statesman
