Daily Guide: Chaos In NDC

Information reaching DAILY GUIDE indicates that the campaign team of Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills, National Democratic Congress (NDC) presidential candidate for the December general elections, has been thrown into disarray, following the furore over who should partner him as running mate.

Plagued with issues that border on religious fanatism, ethnicity and gender-related agitations, the former vice president is said to be having such a headache that he is torn between standing his ground, even if it incurs the wrath of the founder, and yielding to pressures from without for the sake of convenience.

Even though the professor is making his third go at the presidency, this is the first time he is facing open hostilities over the choice of running mate.

The professor was elected for the third time as flagbearer of the largest opposition party in December 2006, but has since remained in limbo as to who will partner him for the December 7, 2008 elections, which many describe as very crucial.

While the former first couple, Jerry John Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, promised he would no longer be treated with kids' gloves, the famous Azorka boys of Tamale were on rampage defacing Mills' pictures on billboards in the northern regional capital, Tamale and threatened to set the party office ablaze.

While the Rawlingses are rooting for Betty Mould-Iddrisu, wife of a strong party guru because they think she can win floating votes, the hardcore Tamale youth say they would desert the party if Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni, a Moslem and running mate in 2004 is not named.

Interestingly, Mills was the darling boy of both the former First Family and the Azorka boys during the last two national congresses that picked him as candidate.

Nana Konadu Agyeman, who virtually issued a threat on the potential fallout if Mills declines to pick Betty said on Peace FM on Tuesday, "I don't think I want to discuss that on radio but if he decides not to take Betty, we will tell him what we want to tell him."

She descended heavily on the state-owned Daily Graphic newspaper for publishing that her husband had given his consent to the choice of John Dramani Mahama, MP for Bole Bamboi as Mills' running mate.

Using unprintable words to describe the publication, Mrs. Rawlings said Mrs Mould-Iddrisu, to her, is the new NDC kid on the block.

Mr. Victor Smith, spokesperson for the former president conveying message of the founder, also fumed at the publication, saying Rawlings had never given his blessing to anyone.

According to him, the story was 'a great lie calculated by self-seekers and their agents to sow seeds of discord in the NDC'.

The flagbearer himself seems not to be ready with a name yet when asked on radio when he would name his partner. According to him, he was still talking to people over the matter.

He told Joy FM that he was yet to do exhaustive consultations with the Council of Elders and National Executive Committee (NEC).

Prof. Mills said even though he had many people in mind, he hoped to settle on someone who would secure votes he would ordinarily not be able to get.

"Well, someone who will partner me and can bring in votes which I will not be able to bring in. So we take into consideration all kinds of factors. I also have my ears on the ground. I am talking to people", he said.

Political observers are closely watching as to whether the various factions which have taken entrenched positions on the choice of running mate would budge when Mills eventually comes out with his man.

Some are of the view that it is the charisma and quality of the candidate that would bring votes to the party, and not the running mate.