‘NDC lacks discipline’

A senior member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Cape Coast, Mr. Kojo Hobo, has stated that the party is suffering from indiscipline.
According to Mr. Hobo, the party lacks discipline from the top hierarchy to the bottom down, adding that that has contributed to violence within the party across the country.
Mr. Hobo has therefore warned that if steps are not taken to address the issue, the NDC will lose its dignity and be tagged as a violent party, especially as the next general election approaches.
The die-hard NDC guru who has been organising major events in Cape Coast for the party made this known in an exclusive interview with Today in Cape Coast on Friday.
He was reacting to the Cape Coast Town Hall incident where some NDC supporters believed to be members of the Get Atta Mills Endorsed (GAME) group prevented the former first Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, from meeting party members in the area to thank them for voting for her at the Sunyani Congress.
Mr. Hobo, who is also the Central Regional Chairman of Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR), indicated that the famous Cape Coast Town Hall incident is a disgrace to President John Evans Atta Mills and Cape Coasters in general.
He expressed concern about the way the leadership of the party has remained tight-lipped on the issue instead of condemning it totally.
“Mrs. Rawlings has toured the whole Ghana and nothing of that sort happened to her but this violent and unfortunate incident only happened in the home region of the “Asomdwehen,” he said.
“Why should this happen in the region of the man who calls himself a man of peace,” he questioned.
He noted that Cape Coast has never recorded any violence be it political violence or whatever, adding even bloody clashes and demonstrations which go on in other areas have never happened in Cape Coast.
Mr. Hobo who has been with the party since the June 4 Revolution claimed that some leaders within the NDC in the region were using the youth in the area to cause mayhem in the peaceful region for their selfish ambitions.
He observed that the former first lady did not deserve to be treated like that since she is a true daughter of the party and a force to reckon with, adding that those behind the shameful act did so in order to win contracts.
“Some people are only doing stomach politics. Everybody will attest to the fact that I campaigned vigorously for President Mills in 2008 but I have never gone to anybody for any favours. I know they are sharing cars and awarding contracts but I have not demanded anything from anybody because I love the party,” he said.
He mentioned some of the leaders behind the Town Hall incident as the Cape Coast Constituency Chairman of the party, Mr. Elvis Amoasah and the Regional Vice-Chairman, Mr. Wilberforce.
“I was the chairman for the occasion on that day and I observed what happened,” he added.
“I can authoritatively say that all those who came there to cause mayhem were NDC supporters because I know all of them so people should stop blaming the NPP for the incident,” he stated.
He noted that what happened does not augur well for the party as it has the tendency to create deep cracks within the NDC.
Mr. Hobo revealed that he and some elders from Cape Coast who reside in Tema and other parts of the country on Wednesday, September 21, 2011 visited the Rawlingses in Accra and apologised on behalf of Cape Coasters for the incident.
He was however worried that even though their apologies were taken, the former first couple could take drastic measures which will affect the NDC in 2012 guessing from the posture of the Rawlingses during their meeting with them.
“Cape Coast is not different from the other towns in the country so it baffles me to know that some people issued a press statement to bar the former first lady from coming to the area,” he pointed out.
“So can President Mills also go to Kumasi or the Volta Region to campaign,? he quizzed.
“The man (president) calls himself Asomdwehen but his followers are war mongers,” he said.
He indicated that the incident confirms the flag bearer of the NPP, Nana Akufo-Addo’s “All die be die” acclamation in retaliation to violence from opposing parties, adding that this will give room for chaos during the 2012 elections since the NPP and CPP will not sit down unconcerned for the NDC to act violently during the period.
“It about time we all came together as a party whether you are FONKAR or GAME and think about how best to develop Cape Coast, the home region of the president, instead of inciting the youth to engage in violence for some favours,” he said.
“Cape Coasters should not forget that President Rawlings descended into the gutters in Cape Coast in a clean-up exercise to clean the region because he loved the people of the area, he also chose President Mills over all the bigwigs in the party including Goosie Tandoh, P V Obeng, Iddrisu Mahama and others as the one to carry on his legacy, so had it not been for Rawlings, no Fante would have ever become president,” he noted.
He hinted that he joined FONKAR because he wanted to unite the Rawlingses and Mills factions for a united party in the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections.