It appears like the woes of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is not over yet after its humiliating defeat at the polls eleven months on.
The party, which has a record of being the first in Ghana to go to the polls with an incumbent president being its presidential candidate and lost, has its founder, former President Jerry John Rawlings [ads1]lambasting it whiles singing praise to the NPP’s President Akufo-Addo.
The party is now believed to have a big division as to whether former President John Mahama should be endorsed to lead the party into the 2020 elections or a new face be considered. Some sections of the party believe that he, former President Manama should be blamed for the party’s defeat and must not be allowed to make a comeback in 2020. Already, many names (some of whom were his former appointees) have popped up to challenge him, John Mahama at the primaries should he decided to contest.
After the December 7, 2016 defeat, the party set up a committee, chaired by Prof. Kwesi Botchwey to investigate the cause of the defeat. The report, which is yet to be made public is believed to have been leaked to the media for which there are reports that the Kwesi Botchwey Committee found, among other things, that the biometric register compiled by the party in 2015 was one of the major causes of the party’s defeat.
The biometric register, according to the perceived leaked report as reported in some sections in the media was manipulated by some members of the party who were vying for various positions. Those disloyal members succeeded in registering non NDC members on the register just to help them win their primaries at all cost. This, according to the purported 455pages leaked report contributed to the defeat of the party as it made the party look a larger political entity than the reality on the ground.
The committee has therefore recommended the register be scrapped and a new one compiled. Some officials, including Mr Ade Coker, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman and presidential hopeful, Mr. Sylvester Mensah have been reported in the media to have endorsed the Botchwey Committee’s recommendations on the biometric register.
The most worrying for the party, according to a hard throat source within the party leadership is that there is an ongoing yet to be exploded issue on how the party leadership allegedly spent GH¢60million on the failed biometric register.
Information available to Awake News indicates that the amount which was allegedly spent on the register was one of the key issues discussed at the just ended National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting and is predicted to further deepen cracks in the party as some high profile members are questioning those in charge of the bogus exercise and how that money was spent.
Source: AwakeAfrica.com | Efo Korsi Senyo | senyo@awakeafrica.com
