NDC defeat: Mahama must mention names or forget 2020 – NDC Group

Members of a pro-National Democratic Congress (NDC) pressure group, Action Movement have called on former President John Mahama to mention names of those who caused the party’s defeat in the 2016 elections.

According to the group, the former President should dare not contest the 2020 flagbearership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) if he does not come clear on exactly what he has taken responsibility for, with regards to the party’s defeat in the last presidential elections, a youth group of the party, Action Movement, has said.

Mr Mahama, after the NDC’s 2016 electoral loss, asked supporters of the party to blame him for its defeat. “The cause of our loss is multifaceted,” he told his former appointees at a meeting on 28 March, adding that those going on air to blame fellow party members and specific members of his administration for the defeat must redirect those accusations at him since he led the party into the elections.

“Of course, as the General who led us into battle, I take ultimate responsibility for our losing the election, and so if it will satisfy those people, blame me for the loss.”

But speaking at a press conference in Accra on Monday, 15th May, the spokesperson for the group, Kodzo Hamenya Keglo, accused Mr Mahama of hurting the party.

He said: “JM’s ‘dead goat syndrome’ during 2012 to 2016 is still there and it’s obvious that JM loves his cronies than the grassroots and is still behaving like a dead goat. If JM is still defending his appointees who hurt our grassroots badly, then JM has no pity for the grassroots.

“JM should do what is honourable. He is causing our party great harm by just saying that he has taken responsibility for our loss. JM should stop the silent torture on our electorate and say exactly what he has taken responsibility for.

“Who has failed him? Who did not do his/her work well? Where should money go and did not go? Which of his appointees failed him? Why were the women organisers not resourced? Why did JM not call Valerie Sawyer to order when he heard that she was campaigning against the NDC candidate in Klottey Korle? Whose idea was it to rather resource friends and ladies for Mahama to the detriment of our executives? These are the question we are asking.

“If JM does not come out immediately for what he has taken responsibility for, then it won’t be morally right for him to organise himself as a candidate for the party. JM must not dare 2020 if he doesn’t clear the air for what he has taken responsibility for.”

NEGLECT OF WOMEN EXECUTIVES

According to the group, the NDC party is known to have women as its backbone.

The 31st December women’s movement was sharp and did a wonderful work in organising our women from the grassroots. On our nation tour, we had complains from ten regional women organizers with their deputies that not a single day the former first lady lordina and JM have met with them throughout JM¢s term. This is a fact to be noted by Dr. Kwesi Botchwey team. How can you win power when the women front is broken?

Diversion tactics

Mr Hamenya further said ‘The mischief Alhaji Bature and his AL-Hajj newspaper published about Jerry Rawlings and Martin Amidu setting up an agenda to kick JM out of the flagbearership position for 2020 is a total nonsense. Whose attention is he trying to divert?The Founder has no time for such useless fabrications. Alhaji Bature stop this kind of useless propaganda. The movement will not tolerate any lies label against the Founder anymore’.

Our view is that the presidential candidacy of the NDC is not a preserve of any one person. The names mentioned are also NDC people. Though the NDC is being managed today like a private company, we pray that soon the NDC will be managed as a congress once again. And our core principles fully applied for the comfort of our people.

The Kwesi Botchwey committee must come out now, the kind of anger and vex that the Action Movement have witnessed going round the whole country is very serious. The insults and the gunshots that the Kwesi Botchwey committee experienced on the field during their work is a clear evidence that our people are not excited at all. They will cause more harm to the party if they don’t come out immediately.

We support Ambassador Victor Smith for his decision. That the national party chairman and his entire executives should resign. Early congress now now now.

The Action Movement is saying that, no more deceit, no more appointee power and no more Executive power. No more, we no-go seat down make them cheat us every day – Gbedey, Dabida, Walahi.