Asiedu Nketsia to resign?

When The aL-hAJJ last week revealed how the present destructive infighting among National Executives of the ruling National Democratic Congress was posing a serious threat to President John Dramani Mahama’s second term bid, many were those who took it with a pinch of salt.

Fresh information reaching this paper reveals that the party’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketsiah, is contemplating resigning if nothing concrete is done to halt the creeping divide-and-rule tactics leading to gross insubordination within the national hierarchy of the party.

The hardworking General Secretary, also known as General Mosquito, sources at the presidency told The aL-hAJJ, expressed his indignation at the obstructive behavior at a recent private meeting with President John Mahama, who also doubles as leader of the NDC.

Sources close to the meeting say Mr. Asiedu Nketsia could not hide his frustrations at what he described as the resurgence of disorderliness that characterized the era of Dr. Obed Yaw Asamoah as National Chairman.

“I can confirm to you that General Mosquito met the President over the ongoing bickering in the party, especially among the National executives and he was not happy at all…he told the president that if nothing is done for sanity to prevail in the party, “some of us cannot continue to be part of this suicidal ‘madness”.

Though the source denied the NDC General Secretary raised any gripe with party chairman at the meeting with the president, this paper’s own investigations shows that relations between Mr. Nketsiah and Kofi Portuphy is anything but cordial as “the General Secretary is not pleased with the manner the party chairman has managed affairs so far,” a source revealed.

The NDC General Secretary, another source told this paper, has also been worried, and has complained to friends and party top gurus of attempts by the party’s National Organizer, Kofi Adams, to usurp his powers, a claim the National Organizer has strenuously denied the charge.

However, President Mahama, our sources noted, has pledged to do all within his powers to unite the ranks of the party ahead of the 2016 general elections. “The President at the meeting assured Asiedu Nketsiah that he will do everything possible to unite the party…he also promised to resolve the disturbing wrangling among NDC executives in the Ashanti and Western regions”.

The ruling NDC over the past months has seen no peace as elected executives of the party have been squabbling for varied reasons.

Recently, a deputy General Secretary, Koku Anyidoho, publicly rebuked Kofi Adams for attempting to drown the powers of Asiedu Nketsiah. His misgivings were in reaction to a press conference called by the National Organizer to respond to the New Patriotic Party’s “Wongbo” demonstration.

Reports are that national executives of the party are sharply divided over how the party should be run with the various interest groups taking entrenched positions.

Party insiders say these negative developments are creeping into the grassroots with executives at the various regional and constituency branches fighting each other.

Last week, President John Mahama was compelled to sack the Ashanti regional minister and his deputy, Joseph Yamin, over what many ascribed to the rift between the two NDC stalwarts.

Following this widespread bickering in the ruling party, The aL-hAJJ last week revealed how some national executives of the NDC are indifferent to seeing the party remain in power after the 2016 elections.

The report said, some of these NDC executives have thrown caution to the wind and are bent on protecting their personal interest even if it means power slipping through their fingers.