Obed, Others Boycott NDC Meeting

... As Rawlings, Harry Sawyer get beaten

INCUMBENT NDC National Chairman Dr Obed Asamoah and several key members of the main opposition party boycotted a meeting convened by the party's head of the Council of Elders, Mr Harry Sawyer at the instance of the party's ceremonial Founder, ex-President Rawlings, last Thursday.

Among key members of the functional executive committee of the NDC who boycotted the meeting, called to map out campaign strategies for the December polls, were Vice NDC Chairman Kwaku Baah, Vice Chair Margaret Clark-Kwesie, Deputy General secretaries Bede Ziedeng and Baba Jamal, National Youth Organiser Iddrisu Haruna, Hons. Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, Sallas-Mensah and Akua Sena Dansua.

Others were Messrs Lee Ocran, Awudu Ariff, William Aggrey, Women's Organiser Francesca Awurabena Essiam, Propaganda Secretary Alhaji Issah Boatey and Mr. Ayamba Laadi Ayi.

Non-members of the executive committee who did not attend the meeting included Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama and Mr Kwamena Ahwoi.

Those who attended, however, included NDC flagbearer J. E. A. Mills, Founder Rawlings, his wife Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, Messrs Ato Ahwoi, Seth Ofori, Rojo Mettle Nunoo, Hon Doe Adjaho, among others.

But all the members of the functional executive committee who boycotted the meeting also fired a letter on the last day of the just ended month of August to the Convener of the meeting titled “Re: Reconstitution of National Coordinating Campaign Team”.

In the said letter, they indicated that they would not attend the meeting because they “consider the proposals for the meeting unmeritorious and an attempt to usurp the powers vested in the functional executive committee…'.

“We consider your modus operandi very worrying and a threat to the success of the party in the upcoming elections”, the group also noted in the letter signed by all of them to Mr Harry Sawyerr, official convener of the meeting.

The meeting was reportedly called at the instance of the former President who sources say had been complaining of inefficiency on the part of the main opposition party's functional executive to lead the campaign for the NDC.

It was however called by the Chairman of the Council of Elders, who according to credible party sources does not have the mandate to call such a meeting.

In his invitation dated August 25 to key members of the party, Mr Sawyerr said in consultation with the flagbearer, Rawlings and the Council of Elders, the party has decided to reconstitute its campaign team in order to enhance its effectiveness.

“It has been realised that the Team as presently constituted is hampered in the ability to deliver on the strategic direction for efficient campaigning”, he noted.

But the Obed-led members of the functional executive beat the NDC Founder and Chair of the Council of elder to the game and succeeded in limiting the essence of the meeting.

In their reaction and in the letter stating their resolve not to attend the said meeting, the functional executive also touched on the financial weakness of the present campaign. “We must mention that what is required for us to deliver our strategic objectives as FEC or National Campaign Team is funding and nothing more”, they stated.

Most people reached on the issue by press time were unwilling to officially comment on the issues, which they claimed had been sorted out.

Keep reading for more on this issue as well as the inside –out of what happened at Thursday's meeting.