Konadu Stings Mosquito

The unprovoked attacks from Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, a National Vice Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that President Atta Mills has left ex-President Jerry Rawlings homeless, is fast deepening the woes of the ruling party.

It has emerged that former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was also present at the Tertiary Education Institution Network (TEIN) workshop in Accra where Dr. Spio-Garbrah reportedly made the comments.

Nana Konadu did not understand why NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketia should chastise her publicly when the party's foot-soldiers displayed her posters declaring their support for her presidential ambitions, even though she had not publicly made any comments to that effect.

She said the same Asiedu-Nketia and the party's executives were silent when President Mills was said to have explicitly expressed interest in running again for the presidency in 2012 on more than one occasion, when nominations had not been opened for the NDC's presidential slot.

The former First Lady did not understand why the provisions in the NDC's constitution should be applied in a selective manner.

'The party has a constitution that says that two years to the general elections we should have a congress and choose a flagbearer…the General Secretary says nobody should declare until the ban is lifted…so if this is in the constitution, does it apply to one or two people or it applies to everybody?'

The former First Lady is yet to confirm or deny that she would contest to lead the NDC for the 2012 general elections but she maintains that the only way to make the Mills administration perform was to be critical of the President and his functionaries.

'We have to be critical of the government, if that is what is going to make the government to properly work for us. Because of handouts, the people are quiet, and because of small money the people are quiet,' she said.

The open defiance and disrespect displayed by some TEIN members, despite a directive from Ludwig Hlodze, the National Youth Organizer calling on the TEIN executives not to hold the workshop which was believed to have been sponsored by the Rawlings faction in the NDC, show how the party is struggling to deal with indiscipline.

Mr. Hlodze, who had earlier tried to stop the workshop, said, 'I still insist it was an illegal workshop. It does not have the blessing of the party or the youth wing of which I am the head. They did not have my consent to hold the workshop.

'Some people are trying to create power blocs in the party. People who claim to be members of the NDC must respect the rules and regulations of the party. We should not do things to undermine the very structures that we have all helped to put together.'

He said Dr. David Sunu could not be a member of TEIN because he was a practising medical officer and not a student and wondered how they came by the funds to organize the workshop and camp some of the delegates, when the same people had been coming to him for chop money and rent allowances.

But Dr Sunu said members of the network had not in any way been incited by comments made by Dr Spio-Garbrah against the party at the workshop.

The Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the NDC expressed what some political analysts believe is a belated concern about the activities of a group calling itself "Greater Accra TEIN".

The FEC, in a statement, said it was studying details of the TEIN workshop which was convened by Dr. Sunu and would soon come out with an official position on it.

The release was signed by NDC National Chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei, whose 'there are many ways of killing a cat' statement, with reference to judges in the country, caused fear and panic among the judiciary recently.

The statement condemned a speech by Dela Coffie in the name of Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR), which attacked the integrity of President Atta Mills and Vice President John Mahama and distanced NDC from the publication since "the party does not recognize FONKAR or any of such groups and their purported executives.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the party shall fish out and identify the likes of Dela Coffie and deal with them in accordance with the relevant provisions of the party's constitution," the statement said.

Dela Coffie, after issuing the statement attacking the integrity of Vice President Mahama, has received scathing verbal attacks from Mills apologists.

Dela virtually attacked the integrity of the Vice President by describing him as somebody who had no 'conscience' and could easily be bribed.

Tackling Spio's attacks on President Mills for allegedly failing to provide accommodation for the former First family, the FEC expressed dismay at the statement  and said Spio was appointed chairman of a three-member committee set up to resolve the former first couple's accommodation problem, but unfortunately, he left the country for his UK base without calling a meeting.

Meanwhile, the NDC youth in the Ashanti Region have asked the party's executives to stand up against the persistent attacks by some leading members of the party on President Mills.

NDC Regional Youth Organizer Kwaku Boafo, speaking on Nhyira FM in Kumasi, said 'disaster' awaited the party in 2012, should the leadership of the party fail to curb indiscipline in the party.

'If we hear anybody insulting or castigating the President and the Vice-President so that they cannot achieve the Better Ghana Agenda, then we the youth in Ashanti Region will stand against them. We don't know where this is coming from.'

By William Yaw Owusu