DFP At Congress

The Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) yesterday commemorated its first birthday with a number of far-reaching decisions including the date for the choice of a flagbearer.

During the elaborate function at the party's headquarters in Accra, the party announced 14th March, 2008 as the date on which the flagbearer of the political grouping would emerge.

DAILY GUIDE has learnt that one-time Finance and Economic Planning Minister Kwesi Botchway is a likely candidate for the top slot of the party in 2008.

The far-reaching decisions were captured in a document dubbed “The Accra Declaration”, which sets out a number of declarations towards enhancing the position of the party as in the words of their strategists, “third force in Ghana's politics”.

A road map towards the party's participation in the 2008 election is operational alongside the creation of the grouping's structures countrywide.

The Accra Declaration includes the following point: “We have settled on 14th March, 2008 as the date the DFP will hold its National Delegates Congress to elect its National Executives and a flagbearer for the 2008 elections.”

Nominations, the party announced, would be opened in April 2008 for the conduct of primaries to elect parliamentary candidates to contest the 2008 elections on the ticket of the DFP.

The regional representatives of the party have expressed confidence in the leadership, “in particular, the way and manner they have managed the affairs of the party for the past one year.”

The Accra Declaration was the culmination of a one-day meeting with the party's National Executive Committee at the GNAT Hall in Accra.

Perhaps the tenth point in the first anniversary resolution is the one which touches on the history of the party as a political entity.

“That finally, we urge all political parties to show more maturity and tolerance in our political discourse as multi-party democracy necessarily involves the holding of different opinions on issues”.

The DFP was formed by a number of aggrieved National Democratic Congress (NDC) elements after a rather violent party congress in the Eastern regional capital of Koforidua.

Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah, who was then gunning for the National Chairmanship of the NDC being the principal target of what appeared to be a planned violent attack against him, escaped unscathed with the intervention of the Police.

With the support of a disenchanted and large followership, he formed the DFP which was officially registered as a political party a year ago.

The legal luminary, who was for a long time Foreign Minister in the NDC regime has maintained a low-profile in the party since its formation, preferring to make do with the title of Patron.

A few months ago, he has been engaged in a running verbal battle with his old party, NDC, a development triggered by his prediction that the party had no dog chance of winning the forthcoming polls in the country.

Not wanting to remain the underdogs, the NDC responded with a barrage of insults on the airwaves and on the pages of newspapers.

Dr. Asamoah joined the battle with copious innuendos.
Prominent among the signatories of the document are the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the party, Emmanuel Nti Fordjour, whose exit from the NDC created discomforting ripples in NDC circles.

By A.R. Gomda