Kwesi Botchwey Report out early June — Koku Anyidoho

The Kwesi Botchwey Committee probing the National Democratic Congress’ (NDC) election defeat in 2016 is expected to present its report to the party in early June.

The committee was set up this year to investigate the circumstances that led to the party’s defeat and was expected to submit its report within three months.

However, the committee could not meet the deadline, since it could not start its work on schedule due to some internal mechanisms that needed to be tackled before commencing the task.

The committee was also tasked, among others, to make recommendations for the restructuring and reorganisation of the party to position it for election 2020.

Background

It is alleged that a number of former appointees of Mr John Dramani Mahama are said to be lacing their boots for the presidential primary.

Although some of them including Mr Ekwow Spio-Gabrah, who was the Minister of Trade and Industry, and Mr Victor Smith former Ghana’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, have come out to refute the rumours, the others are still silent over the reports.

Names that have come up include former Chief Executive of the National Health Insurance Authority, Mr Sylvester Mensah, and a former Board Chairman of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Professor Joshua Alabi.

Already, members of the NDC are waiting with bated breath for the report of the Kwesi Botchway committee.

Extension

Speaking to the Daily Graphic in an interview last Wednesday, the Deputy General Secretary of the party, Mr Koku Anyidoho, said the committee requested about a month ago, that the time should be extended in order to meet some individuals and groups that had expressed interest to meet the committee to share their thoughts, concerns and opinions on why the party lost the 2016 elections.

Mr Anyidoho said considering the reasons for the extension, the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party decided to acede to the request because it was reasonable to do so.

“We granted the request because the more the committee met the people the better the healing process we are looking for,’’ he stated.

According to him, there is a strong feeling that the committee is doing a good job by allowing the rank and file to comment on the defeat.

Neglect of grass roots

He indicated that it emerged that the grassroots of the party felt neglected and disconnected from the rank and file of the party.

Mr Anyidoho said in order to correct the “disconnection between the top and the bottom’’, the NEC had started going round the branches to reorganise them before moving to the constituency, regional and the national levels.

He said the NEC adopted the ‘’bottom-up approach’’ as a critical and best option to rebuild the party to capture power in election 2020.

On the issue of those jostling for the flagbearership of the party for election 2020, Mr Anyidoho said “we want the reorganisation of the branches, constituencies, regional and the national levels in place first before we talk about the flagbearership position”.

Credit: Graphic