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Asiedu Nketia, NDC National Chairman
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The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has tacitly admitted that the party’s leadership, indeed, did not consult the Minority Caucus in Parliament over the decision to change its leadership.
He, however, cited “good reasons” for the decision not to consult the MPs, without explaining those reasons.
Speaking to members of the NDC at a press conference in Britain, United Kingdom, Mr Nketia said it was not “practical” to inform the NDC caucus beforehand, given that the party still had authority that would have led to changes in the leadership, anyway.
Lame defence
He said, apart from the case of the Minority Caucus, “everybody who needed to be consulted was consulted”.
“The only group we didn’t consult was the Parliamentary caucus, and it was for good reason. If the exercise was going to be done after an election, then there was nobody in charge. But if you are going to take a decision, which would result in the removal of leadership, how are you going to call them and say ‘come and help me to remove you’? It wasn’t practical; so in such matters you take the decision and inform them and justify it,” he said.
Though Mr Nketia said the party would be meeting the Parliamentary Caucus yesterday to explain to them the reason for the decision, it turned out the meeting could not take place on account of the raging controversy and deep-seated acrimony.
The party is racing against time to calm the waters before Parliament resumes on Tuesday, February 8.
Acrobatics
The NDC National Chairman insisted he takes full responsibility for the decision on account of the tradition that NDC leadership acts in the best interest of the party.
He told members of the party in the UK to dismiss reports that the move had divided the party, adding that “the decision had rather brought some new excitement on the front of NDC”.
Reacting to concerns about the timing of the move, Mr Nketia said the party should have reshuffled its Parliamentary leadership as far back as March 2021.
The leadership, however, could not effect the changes due pressures arising out of the need to prosecute the Presidential Election Petition, which it had filed in court, among other considerations.
“The old leadership was selected based on what was needed at the time, and they have discharged their work creditably. Now, there are new set of emerging challenges; so it is only reasonable to go for leadership that possesses the skills set that would be able to discharge the responsibilities that have emerged because of the changing times,” Mr Nketia said.
Circumspection
Meanwhile, the NDC’s Council of Elders has charged its MPs and the party leadership to be circumspect, and refrain from comments that could escalate the seeming division occasioned by the changes.
This was after the Minority leadership and over 70 MPs, including former Attorney-General Dominic Ayine, had petitioned the Council to intervene in the decision to restore calm.
For the second time, a scheduled NDC Minority Caucus meeting to address issues of disagreement over a change in leadership had been postponed.
This meeting became necessary following the removal of Haruna Iddrisu, Muntaka Mubarak and James Klutse Avedzi, as leaders of the Caucus, with the appointment of Dr Ato Forson as the new leader.
Other appointments included MP for Ellembele as Deputy Minority Leader and Adaklu MP, Governs Kwame Agbodza, as Minority Chief Whip and Armah Kofi Buah.
The over 70 NDC MPs have kicked against the decision, and have called for its immediate annulment, with the NDC grassroots, particularly in the North and Zongos, going berserk.
The MPs have addressed petitions to the NDC Council of Elders, former President John Mahama and the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin.