NDC is broke

...Nima office is now mini market
Chronicle can reveal that when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) delegates from the 200 constituencies nationwide convene in December to elect a flag-bearer for the party, neither ex-President Jerry Rawlings’ influence as Father and Founder of the party nor objectivity and merit will be the deciding factor. Money certainly will, if party chiefs fail to level the playing field by putting in place the proper structures that would enhance fundraising and oil the wheels of a balanced campaign machine.

The pure and simple truth is that, for now, the party was able to purchase and maintain hundreds of four-wheel drives and constituency offices nation-wide is broke! Party insiders confirmed this to the Chronicle last weekend.

They lamented to the paper that, even though party bigwigs have the capacity to quickly revive the party’s secretariat in the various constituencies, not very much is being done by way of investing in the party that gave them their fortune in the first place.

The Nima office has changed hands, despite the fact that its landlord is a strong NDC activist. What used to be a lively, vibrant hub of NDC political activities has turned into a mini-market where toiletries and basic commodities are sold.

The Chronicle learnt that the party had been in arrears since the last presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2000 when fire-eating cadres of the NDC in the area chased Nima Boy Kofi “Chuck” Wayo around and attempted burning down the one-storey Pan African Hotel situated in the Nima roundabout belonging to an NPP sympathizer.

The NDC at Nima now operates from a district assembly facility, the Nima Social Centre, which also houses a public toilet (washroom). Pecuniary motives have compelled the landlord, Alhaji Razak, to “go for the gold,” after advising himself that it does not pay to feed on a slice of patriotism when party chiefs themselves are putting their monies where their mouths are. There was nothing he could do but eject the NDC from his premises and lease the facility out to a tenant who had come to Accra to look for money.

Ditto, the constituency office in La, which also changed hands as soon as the bell tolled for the grand exit of the grandmaster of Ghana’s political history, Jerry Rawlings, who had led three governments.

Nima made sure Nima Boy Kofi Wayo did not enter Parliament, after several hours of controversial counting of the ballot paper. Nima gave the grand support to ex-President Rawlings when he was “invited” by the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) to defend his Boom II speech at Kumasi where he had gone to inaugurate a Women’s Wing of the party.

And Nima made the greatest political capital out of the 9 May 2000 Accra Sports stadium black Wednesday tragedy that took away the lives of some 130 football fans during a football match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko.

Nima is the first point of call to party organisers interested in making waves to prove a point to their political opponents that NDC has strong support, and therefore the notable point where ferrying of party supporters to rallies generally begin during election time.