NDC is a Divided Party - Kwamena Ahwoi

Mr. Kwame Ahwoi, former Minister for Local Government and Rural Development said on Saturday that the national leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) appears dazed as to the direction of the party and urged the leaders to offer opportunities for new face to emerge.

"In the NDC anybody can become somebody," he said. Mr Ahwoi was speaking at the National Youth Delegates Congress of the party at which Mr Haruna Idrissu, a former President of the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) was elected as the new National Youth Organiser.

Mr Idrissu polled 76 votes to beat Mr Bismarck Agbemenule, who had 17. Mr Ludwig Hlodzie was elected First Deputy Youth Organiser with 58 votes, while Mr Kelly Forson polled 29 to become the Second Deputy Organiser.

Mr Ahwoi, whose speech received wild cheers from the delegates, noted that while former government office holders remained quiet and appear to be overwhelmed by the harassment and intimidation of the NPP government, the party leadership had restricted itself to a few press conferences and occasional press statements.

He said the new NDC must be all embracing with a goal of wining back its grassroots support base, noting that the party's philosophy of social democracy and discipline must be the guiding principle of all members.

"Inner party democracy requires that we sort out our internal differences among ourselves through vigorous debates, democratic dialogue and agreeing to disagree, where we cannot resolve our differences," he said.

On the NDC's role as the leading opposition party, Mr Ahwoi said it was taking too long to come to terms with the party's electoral defeat. Mr Ahwoi accused the media of entering into an unholy alliance with the NPP government saying, "suddenly the Ghanaian media has lost its power of criticism and forgotten its watchdog role."