The National Democratic Congress (NDC)’ publication of a tentative date for its Presidential primary has been received with frustration by constituency executives of the party, who are saying that they are impatient to wait any longer to make Mr. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Flagbearer.
At a press conference in Accra on friday, constituency executives from across the length and breadth of the country vented their frustration over the postponement of the Congress from this December to 3rd March 2019.
“It is frustrating that we still have to wait till next year before we can elect our leader but we are sure that the National executives of our party had very good reason to do the postponement.
“None the less, this shift is nothing but a postponement of the inevitable which is that Mr. ASK Bagbin will win massively to become our 2020 Flagbearer,” Daniel Mawuli Agbesi, a member of the NDC’s Western regional Communication team and communication officer of Mpohor constituency said to wild applause at the well-attended press conference.
The conference had been thronged by Constituency executives from across the country. Mr. Agbesi, who is from the Western Region said that Mr. Bagbin’s promise to ensure that the party rewards people who sacrifice for it remains the best message.
“Also, the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament remains the most marketable prospective Candidate for us with his fierce reputation for incorruptibility,” Mr. Agbesi said to thunderous claps from delegates in attendance.
The Communication Officer for Mpohor was flanked on the high table by Mr. Albert Afari Anaafi, Deputy Communication Officer for Akropong in the Eastern Region, Mr. Evans Amarh, Deputy Constituency Organizer for Tema East in the Greater Accra region, and Mr. Ben Yamoah, the NDC’s Communication Officer for Lower West Akim.
One by one, the executives from the various regions in the country re-affirmed their support for Mr. ASK Bagbin. “In the Eastern region, I can report that at least 70% of the delegates on the ground are for Bagbin, and nothing will change our mind, not even a truckload of money,” Mr. Albert Afari said to wild applause from delegates in attendance.
According to him, “the postponement from December to March next year has frustrated many of our compatriots, but we are not disheartened. We will wait patiently and do what we must do next year.”
Mr. Amarh Evans and Mr. Ben Yamoah similarly said that the Greater Accra Region and the Lower West Akim areas have also been frustrated by the postponement but will vote massively for Mr. ASK Bagbin.
Ben Yamoah said for the people in his area, the desire to really vote massively for Bagbin has been strengthened by deliberate acts of discrimination that were carried out against Mr. Bagbin and the other Flagbearership aspirants contesting against former President Mahama.
“Where is the fairness in holding our National Delegates Conference and giving the platform for only one Flagbearer aspirant to address the delegates? why is it that only former President Mahama got the opportunity to address the delegates while others were also there?” Mr. Yamoah asked rhetorically.
According to him, the deliberate discrimination created a false impression that President Mahama had a lot of support among the delegates, “but we all know this is a falsehood. I can promise that if Mr. Bagbin had also been given the platform to address the delegates, he would have received even better praise and attention.”
He said, the deliberate attempt to use the 9th Delegates Conference to project Mr. Mahama above all his other contenders, is nothing but a mistake that the party is re-enacting. “This is the same monkey trick that we played against ourselves in 2016, when we filled all our rallies with people but ended up losing by almost one million votes,” Mr. Yamoah said.
Meanwhile, during the 9th Congress, Mr. Bagbin had pulled the highest crowd with his entrance to the Trade Fair venue. Thousands of the delegates mobbed him and took pictures with him for a long time before security personnel could pluck him away.
“The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament was one of the first party bigwigs to rush to the Ridge Hospital to visit delegates who had been rushed there after they were involved in an accident on their way to the Congress.
“It was when Mr. Bagbin was away from the Congress ground that the DJ started playing the remix of the “Bobolebobo” song for Mr. Mahama…and this made many of the delegates to sing and dance,” Amarh Evans said.
He cautioned that the self-deceit that the pro-Mahama forces within the party are pulling off should be checked, because, “if it is not checked, it will lead to very wrong signals to our opponents.”
“ Mr. Bagbin’s brilliant performance as Minority Leader under former president Kufuor alone, made him more popular than his opponents in the flagbearership race, even his international awards and his best minister award in 2012 under late president Mills should send a signal that he is the most popular presidential material to lead NDC in 2020”
The grooming of fresh parliamentarians including former president Mahama and President Akufo Addo by Mr. Bagbin is conspicuous that Mr. Bagbin is the best brain to rule Ghana” Mr. Amarh Evans, the deputy constituency organizer for Tema East said.
“I am not surprised that many Ghanaian Chiefs want the nation to honour
Rt. Hon. ASK Bagbin” Mr. Amarh Evans concluded.
