NPP Reacts to Vote Rigging Allegations

NDC And Patapaa! ...grounds being prepared for rejection of results ...UN being dragged in ...US being accused Accra, Nov. 8, Accra Daily Mail --Last week the sovereign government of the Republic of Ghana issued a statement in which it expressed grave concern about "certain prominent political figures who have written to the Chairman of the African Union (AU) the European Union (EU), President Bush, Premier Blair and other world leaders making false allegations purporting to suggest that the New Patriotic Party intends to rig the elections." The ADM has been informed by a security analyst that Ghanaians should not look at this "on the surface and leave it there", but take it as a clear manifestation of the kind of danger awaiting the country in the coming weeks. Bluntly, he said, "we are being told to prepare for a coup by the founder of the NDC".

This falls in line with a document that has been made available to ADM concerning a conference held from September 20-22, 2004 by the United Cadres Front in Accra which was addressed by NDC big shots including Rawlings, Mills, Kwamena Ahwoi, Josiah Ayeh and others.

Ostensibly, the conference was meant to re-integrate the cadres back into the (P)NDC fold but actually, it was a call to arms.

The founder of NDC Mr. J.J Rawlings in his address commended the cadres for what he described as their sacrifice and commitment to build the country. He said cadreship has no age limit and has no time when one becomes a cadre and being a cadre is not a career but devotion to duty and sacrifice.

He tried mollifying the cadres by saying that as a social democratic party the NDC needed the help of cadres which were a force to reckoned with. He described the cadres as a fearful force and called on them to monitor the election because they are the eyes of the nation.

He then delved into what obviously was the heart of his presentation. The NPP, he said, was aware that it would lose this year's elections and had therefore resorted to moves to create confusion and rig the elections.

He asked the cadres to be vigilant, adding rather ominously that some people may die, others may shed blood just because they want to cling on to power.

700,000 people, he claimed could not take their photographs for the voters identity cards. He then announced that "UN researchers" had reported that there was a fraudulent thing in the making by the NPP.

This dragging of the UN into local politics in Ghana is unprecedented and would have to be investigated because it is going to be used by Rawlings to charge his followers to kick against the election outcome once it does not favour the NDC.

In an equally strange outburst, he disclosed to his audience that the United States government is aware of the plans by the NPP government and is prepared to assist it to hold on to power by fair or foul means.

That, he said, is why Ghana's Chief of Defence Staff was decorated by the US Secretary of Defence Mr. Donald Rumsfeld. He said there was a group in the NPP administration which had nurtured plans to drag his name in the mud, paint him evil and assassinate him, while another group wants him assassinated immediately.

He said he had been able to survive all these attempts because of his numerous supporters and the government knew that there would be a revolt when he is assassinated.

He urged his cadres to be vigilant and challenge all fraudulent activities during the election.

These outbursts are consistent with the contents of the statement divulged by the government last week and show clearly that Rawlings, with or without the help of Professor Mills is out for a fight. Rawlings is not going to take an NDC defeat with grace.

Indeed he sees the election as between him and Kufuor - Mills is simply a political irritant he is tolerating to achieve his grand design of being 4x lucky.

Interesting or dark days are ahead...