The United Cadres Front (UCF), a core structure of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), says it has uncovered some internal saboteurs said to be campaigning strongly against President John Dramani Mahama’s second-term bid and has announced it will soon make their names public.
The organisation, made up of surviving frontrunners of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), a khaki revolutionary regime that came into force at the dawn of the 80s, claims the saboteurs mostly are incumbent lawmakers and government appointees who became bitter after losing the party’s parliamentary primaries conducted nationwide some months ago ahead of the 2016 polls.
At least 7 of the 15 constituencies in the Upper East Region, according to the cadres, have such ‘betrayers’ consciously working undercover to hand the president the worst nightmare of having only a minority in Parliament on his side if he sails through the upcoming general elections.
“They have been holding secret meetings, asking their supporters to vote ‘skirt and blouse’. We are aware. We have such pieces of information, intelligence reports. And it cuts across the whole country. What this means is that, if we are unable to secure majority of the seats, the diabolical intention of the NPP (New Patriotic Party) to impeach President Mahama would now work. The Ford thing was just to cover up. They (the NPP) didn’t have anything to pass vote of no confidence against the President to impeach him.
“If we are unable to get parliamentary majority, they (the NPP) would carry out their diabolical intentions. Besides, our policies and programmes would be thwarted because parliament would not be able to pass bills, promulgate laws and sign international treaties as well loan agreements. This is the harm the top members of the NDC who are asking people to vote ‘skirt and blouse’ are already doing to the President. And we want to advise them for their own interest and for the interest of the party that if they decide not to discontinue and they go ahead, we will expose them even before December 7. And we will do that consciously,” the Upper East Regional Chairman of the UCF, Noble Asakeya Alagskomah, told Starr News.
Cadres to resist reappointment of laid-back appointees
Some government appointees, the cadres also state, have deliberately turned their backs on the party’s reelection campaign despite ceaseless calls on all supporters to continue to drum up support for the NDC.
The same appointees, they predict, will return from their pre-election campaign oblivion and resurface within the corridors of power, seeking reappointment. The organisation expressed strong distaste for such practice and vowed to strongly resist any move to hand any appointments to such position seekers.
“The political appointees should embark on an intensive campaign and not be in the comfort of their air-conditioned offices, land cruisers and Pajero, leaving the campaign to others. You see them hovering around the corridors of power after victory has been won and even being selective, looking for juicy positions as against the positions that are not juicy. Cadres will not allow anybody who hasn’t participated effectively to be appointed. We will use all legitimate means to prevent any of such people being appointed by His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama,” Mr. Alagskomah declared.
Cadres’ statement echoes Vice President’s worry
Overwhelming clouds of extremely sharp internal division, linked together by a chain of terrible accusations that heralded the parliamentary primaries, have remained a serious threat to the party’s electoral goldmines nationwide.
Of deep worry is the omen that the Vice President, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, during his recent tour of the Upper East Region, emphasised the need for the party to “resolve all interpersonal problems that arose from your campaigns to the primaries …so that we can claim a historic victory for President John Dramani Mahama”.
For the cadres, campaigning against one’s party ahead of a major election after suffering defeat in an internal election only reflects the lack of integrity and commitment on the part of such individuals.
“Cadres have sacrificed from 31st December [1981] up to now. Some of them haven’t even had any appointment; they have not even been placed in any board or corporation; but they have still remained committed, campaigning for the party, renewing the mandates of parliamentary candidates, presidents and all that. So, we find it extremely difficult how some people will lose an election and think that they will have to burn the Atlantic Ocean,” Mr. Alagskomah added.
Although the cadres have declined to immediately disclose the constituencies where the alleged saboteurs are said to be campaigning on the quiet against the president, it is an open secret, and Starr News can confirm, that some serious internal wrangling is eating the NDC deep in at least 4 constituencies in the region. These include Bongo, Bolgatanga Central, Chiana-Paga and Bawku Central.
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