NDC Must Learn From NPP And Suspend Mahama-Moshake

A former executive of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Tema East constituency is calling the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP)’s recent suspension of some members for anti-party activities an example that the NDC cannot ignore.

In a statement released on his social media, Mr. Stephen Ashitey Adjei, alias Moshake, said the activities that triggered the dismissal of the NPP personalities involved is no different from what former President John Mahama has done to the NDC.

“Like I have always pointed out, Mr. Mahama put on a lot of anti-party behaviour when he was president and these behaviours are the main instigators of our crash out of power in 2016,” Moshake wrote.

For the former Tema East NDC executive, what is even more unbecoming of the NDC is that the same party has dismissed some members from the party in the past over anti-party behaviour but have refused to apply same to Mahama even though he has duly petitioned the national leadership.

“I urge the NDC to be exampled by what has happened in the NPP and also, at least suspend John Mahama, the man whose anti-party behaviour cost us power and has left us in opposition for almost a decade now.”

On Monday, the NPP released a statement dismissing four of its staunch members – Hopeson Adorye, Nana Ohene Ntow, Boniface Abubakar Saddique and Yaw Buaben Asamoa – for supporting former Trade Minister, Alan Kyerematen who has left the party to form his movement for Change party.

According to the ruling party, the behaviour of the dismissed persons breached the party’s constitution and automatically spelled the forfeiture of their membership.

According to Moshake, “this is how you run a party, with a disciplined and principled position that upholds the party’s constitution irrespective of who is involved.”

Moshake also revealed that he has a petition pending against former President John Mahama with the national leadership of the NDC over Mahama’s anti-party behaviour.

A copy of that petition, dated 25th February, 2022, has since been floating on social media and in it, Moshake lists a tall line of what he claims to be offensive conducts on the part of John Mahama which destroyed the NDC’s reputation.

They include then President Mahama’s decision to cancel teacher and nursing trainee allowances; his refusal to see through a fiat that former President Mills had issued for GPHA ex-workers to be paid their severance benefits, and amongst others.

He also listed the former President’s alleged shaming of the MCE for Tema, Isaac Ashai Odamtten in public, his failure to solve the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis which he says made the NDC unpopular in the Northern region and his neglect of the party’s executives when he was president.

“If all the above cogent reasons are not anti-party behaviour in violation of Article 46 Clause 8(b), then what is it? Article 46 clause 8(b) says and I quote, “anti-party conduct or activities likely to embarrass the party or bring the party into hatred, ridicule or contempt,” the petition had stated.

According to Moshake, given that his petition is still pending, the NDC cannot hold its head high for dismissing other people like Allotey Jacobs, former Central Regional Chairman, and Koku Anyidoho for similar anti-party behaviour when it has refused to suspend John Mahama.

“The impression you get from such selective treatment is that the party’s constitutionally sanctioned disciplinary action holds applicable to everybody else in the party except John Mahama.”

Moshake added that the refusal to discipline John Mahama has led to the former president continuing in his anti-party behaviour even after he was re-elected flagbearer.

“As we speak there is confusion in the NDC because Mahama takes campaign decisions without recourse to the functional executive committee of the party,” he wrote, adding, “if the party had disciplined John Mahama as they ought to, he wouldn’t have been continuing this way,” Moshake stated.

“Article 17 clause 1 and 2 of the 1992 Constitution says all persons shall be equal before the Law and against discrimination on grounds of status, etc.” Moshake noted.