Gbeho Stuns Nti

Attempts to smoke out Victor Gbeho, former MP for Anlo, from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) chairmanship race before he files his nomination papers, appear to have suffered a set back.

Mr. Gbeho, who indicated his intention to contest the NDC chairmanship slot representing the Rawlings faction in the party, yesterday fought back spiritedly, when he was declared unfit for the position by the Ashanti Regional Chairman of NDC, Emmanuel Nti Fordjour.

Mr. Nti Fordjour, yesderday questioned the legitimacy of Mr. Gbeho in his bid to challenge the incumbent chairman, Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah, who is at logger heads with the founder of the party, former President Jerry John Rawlings. According to the Ashanti Regional NDC chairman who is equally facing stiff opposition from Mr Daniel Ohene Agyekum, a former Ashanti Regional Minister and a 'Rawlings's boy' Mr Gbeho, having defied the party to contest the 2004 Anlo Parliamentary elections as independent candidate, had automatically forfeited his membership of the party.

Speaking on Citi FM, an Accra-based private radio station yesterday, Nti Fordjour challenged Gbeho, former Foreign Affairs Minister's commitment to party, when he again contested against the party's candidate Sqn. Ldr Clend Sowu in the 2000 election defeating the old soldier in the process. He said the party's position was that “anybody who goes independent sacks himself automatically”.

He said as far as he was concerned Mr Gbeho has not admitted back into the party.

But Mr Gbeho reacting to the threat to pull the rug under his feet, stated that the party had pardoned him.

He said the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the party had written to him accepting him back with no condition attached. He noted that it was regrettable that a senior officer of the party does not know what was going on.

Last Monday Daily Guide published Mr Gbeho's entry into the NDC Chairmanship race, receiving mixed-reaction.

Mr. Victor Gbeho, a former Member of Parliament for Anlo, in the Volta Region, has revealed that, he has joined the race to give Dr. Obed Asamoah a stiff challenge, over who leads the party, to election 2008.

The former diplomat, and Foreign Affairs Minister, revealed this to two radio stations, Radio Gold and Citi FM, in Accra, late last week. Gbeho was surprisingly up-beat about his chances of snatching the leadership position from the NDC strong capo, Obed Asamoah.

He stated that, originally, he had no intentions of contesting the chairmanship position, but some leading members of the party approached, and begged him to contest, when the party goes to congress.