Dela Coffie writes:The Inside Story of NJOA’s Nomination, And The Sponsored Smear campaign Against Rawlings 

The Inside Story of NJOA’s Nomination, And The Sponsored Smear campaign Against Rawlings

The turbulence and the bumpy journey that preceeded the unveiling of Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman as John Mahama’s running mate can best be described as intriguing and stunning.

The intriguing circumstances that led to the last minute cancellation of a scheduled July 6 Council of Elders meeting, the groundswell of opposition to the choice of Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman by the caucus of NDC regional chairmen, and even the deep rooted divisions and cracks at the National Executive Committee(NEC) meeting over the would-be veep is very concerning.

In keeping to convention, there ought to be a Council meeting and then Council decision sent to NEC. This did not happened and I find it incongruous.

That’s not all there was.

Mahama’s indecision and his failure to achieve consensus between the founder, Council of Elders and the other waring faction within NEC was a major highlight.

It’s hard to imagine, let alone believe that for the first time in the history of the fourth republic, NDC Council of Elders failed to meet to deliberate on a decision of a running mate simply because the council members were diametrically opposed to the choice to be made.

But it doesn’t stop there. Here’s what else was identified from information purportedly gleaned over the past couple of days from more than half a dozen of high ranking party folks, including sources within the Council of Elders:

☑ “The flagbearer’s indecisiveness was brought to the fore once more over his inability to deal honestly with all the stakeholders.

☑ The flagbearer sidestepped Council of Elders and proceeded to NEC for a decision on his choice of running mate.

☑ On the morning of the NEC meeting, a message was posted online stating that “‘Mahama had settled on Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman when indeed the council of elders were not in the know.

These series of events presents a troubling array of potential violations of the NDC’s constitution, and widespread efforts to kick-start the much talked-about agenda 2024. Once again, the politics of political gymnastics of Ato Ahwoi and the Agenda 2024 elements have been exposed and it stinks to the high heavens.

If this were just a gripping political novel, we could have our rush of adrenaline and go on with daily life. But it’s not. The very fabric of intra-party democracy is shredding before our eyes, and someone needs to speak out, and calls for leadership to do triage. This is no longer a ‘them-vs.-us’ thing. It’s a right-vs.-wrong thing, and the ultimate “wrong” would be to allow one man to lead the entire rank and file of a political movement to morph into one that tolerates this kind of power abuse without consequences. That would be a very dark NDC, indeed.

Think about it. We are living in troubled times indeed. And it is not just Mahama that we must worry about. We should equally be concerned about the current manifestation of the entire NDC leadership—the leadership that reluctantly appeared to accept the running mate choice and now rubber stamps Mahama’s bizarre actions.

And as if the treachery against the party is not enough, the very people who ignored the council of elders and shoved the running mate down the throat of the rank and file amidst protestations from right thinking members, have now moved into a new gear with sponsored smear campaign against the founder- Jerry John Rawlings.

What is so scandalous and materially ironic about this needless shenanigan is that the personalities leading this graceless attack against Rawlings are individuals who should know better. Disappointingly, they continue to yell themselves hoarse without telling us whether the attacks on Rawlings is going to fetch the NDC votes in the December elections.

I just can’t get my head around the fact that these same elements who are doing everything possible to get the founder’s support still finds it prudent to put him up for ridicule.

Who are they fooling?

The sort of treachery that these people have introduced into the ranks of the National Democratic Congress will take courage and fortitude to diffuse not silence and sheepish on-looking. This reckless gambit must be engaged head on.

The NDC must overcome this beat up philosophy of not washing its “dirty linen in public.”

For goodness sake, the dirty linen is already stinking in public, thanks to how leadership has continue to hide behind their trusted media contacts to assassinate Rawlings’ character, and it wouldn’t hurt one bit if we clean it where it hangs.

I am trying silently to figure out the reasons for certain actions of our leaders which I find very offensive and incomprehensible. How could anyone in his or her sane mind claim that Jerry John Rawlings is in bed with the Akufo-Addo government, and therefore he is of no relevance to the NDC?

So, the so-called patching up is just for the camera? How can the leader be seen to be wooing the founder, and at the same his frontmen are engaged in sponsoring of vile and vicious smear campaign against him? It continue to stagger my mind how supposedly highly educated folks, adamantly refuses to accept the basic fact that, Rawlings factor in the NDC cannot be discounted.

Why would a responsible leader in his wisdom, support trusted media hooligans to run down the NDC founder a few months to general elections? Are we not tired of these shameless shenanigans?

It is sheer foolishness and downright obtuse for anyone to think that Jerry Rawlings will acquiesce to some staged patching up while he is under attack by the very people initiating the process.

The flagbearer must also be careful of the people he surrounds himself with. His so-called kitchen cabinet must be careful not to rock the boat. Any attempt to humiliate Rawlings publicly will spell doom for their political future.

Mahama needs to understand that faking a handshake with Jerry Rawlings is a recipe for political disaster -it is evidence that more than one and a half years in the role as the leader of the NDC haven’t helped Mahama settle into his job. In fact, if events surrounding the nomination of his running mate is any indication, things are less settled than ever. Indeed, the picture that emerges is one of a leader whose thinking isn’t grounded in reality and is instead fixated on unimportant things like publicity stunt.

Let it also be known to the political novices, eager to please their paymasters that, Rawlings has never been the cause of the divisions in the NDC – Rawlings has never been the problem, but their paymasters who have fed and grown fat on the party.

The NDC is Rawlings, and Rawlings is NDC. It matters not who is leading the NDC today but the party’s umbilical cord is tied to Jerry Rawlings and the earlier they get it the better for us all.

I shall be back

Dela Coffie

delacoffie22@gmail.com