With 10 days to go for the July 9 Congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the spokesperson for Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR), Mr Dela Coffie, bas described as illusion claims within sections of the media that the congress to elect a flag bearer would cause a deep crack within the party and culminate in its defeat in the next general election.

"No matter our differences in opinion over who leads the NDC in 2012, we are one family. The NDC is resolved to offer a leadership that will decisively beat the NPP and form the next government, irrespective of who emerges as its leader in Sunyani," he added,

Mr Coffie, who was briefing the Daily Graphic about the preparations of the Nana Konadu camp towards the Sunyani congress noted that the recent developments in the NDC were purely a family matter, as well as a constitutional requirement that demanded that the party went to congress and elect a leader for the next elections.

He noted that the competition was also about affording the king makers of the NDC, the delegates, the opportunity to elect the person whom they believe will best represent their views, aspirations and stick religiously to the philosophy of the NDC.

He indicated that contrary to speculations by detractors and opponents that the NDC would come out of the congress badly bruised and divided, the party would prove its skeptics wrong and demonstrate that it was the architect of the current democratic dispensation.

Mr Coffie added that the NDC would emerge stronger and more united, determined to win the 2012 election with the highest margin ever recorded in the recent elections.

He indicated that there was every indication that President Mills had not kept faith with the grassroots members of the party and had also abandoned the philosophies of the NDC which included social justice, probity and truth.

Mr Coffie added that many of the party members believed that Nana Konadu would reposition the party as the organisation that gave birth to the government, a process the current Mills administration had woefully failed to recognise and implement.

He said the theme that had run through all the messages of Nana Konadu to all the delegates in the 230 constituencies she had visited was her quest to forge a united and stronger NDC family and vowed never to engage in any activity that would split the party she and her husband fought hard in bringing to being and power in 2008.

Mr Coffie said FONKA was more than convinced that Nana Konadu would win the delegates congress because the delegates had received the message of hope, revitalisation and revival of the party with enthusiasm; they also knew that Nana Konadu would uphold and defend the principles of the party to the hilt.

He denied accusations that Nana Konadu's team was using juju on the delegates and said those leveling those accusations were surprised at the rate at which the delegates were apprehending Nana Konadu’s message and buying into it.

According to him, FONKA decided to initiate the moves to impress upon Nana Konadu to vie for the flagbearership position because over the years, President Mills and his administration had not paid heed to constant reminders to uphold the tenets of the NDC.

"President Mills and the current administration had not done enough to maintain the credibility of the party in the eyes of most Ghanaians, the very people who worked assiduously to bring the party had been relegated to the back ground".

Mr Coffie said it was unbelievable that just after forming government, the grassroots members started, to demonstrate against some government appointees simply because most of the appointees, particularly the district chief executives, most of whom knew next to nothing with regard to the ideologies of the NDC, were also not known to the local party people who were in the trenches fighting for the party to come to power.

He expressed surprise at the level of acceptance and understanding demonstrated by the delegates at the various meetings, adding that even at places that some of the delegates had been prevented from meeting Madam, they had found other means of meeting her.

He said members of FONKA were not enthused that some current members of government had on several occasions, publicly questioned former President Rawlings’ status as the founder of the NDC, a position that was recognised by the NDC constitution.



Source: Daily Graphic