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General News of Saturday, 25 February 2017

Source: kasapafmonline.com

‘Cash-strapped’ NDC begs ex-govt officials to donate funds to run the party

Madam Anita Desoso, Vice Chairperson of the National Democratic Congress Madam Anita Desoso, Vice Chairperson of the National Democratic Congress

Credible information available to Kasapafmonline.com indicates that the leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) is passionately begging appointees of the immediate past John Mahama administration to donate funds to keep the party ‘surviving’.

This website is told by party insiders that barely two months after the NDC lost power, its finances is in dire straits as its kitty is not as resourced as it was especially prior to the December 2016 elections.

Following the situation the party finds itself presently, it has turned to its Members of Parliament and former government officials to contribute financially to keep the party afloat.

As a result, the party has already begun holding meetings with some categories of appointees with the first to be met last Monday being former ministers and deputies, who have been asked to donate an unspecified amount of their ex-gratia to help run the party.

Kasapafmonline.com understands that persons who served as High Commissioners and Ambassadors under ex-President John Dramani Mahama were also met on Thursday by the party’s leadership and told to support with whatever they’ve earned over the years towards the party’s its upkeep.

The next group that will be met in the coming days is former Chief Executive Officers of state institutions whose contributions the party will gladly welcome.

In an interview with Kasapa News, Vice Chairperson of the NDC, Madam Anita Desoso denied that the party is cash strapped.

According to her, the NDC’s appeal to its senior members for funds is nothing new as that has been the tradition, especially whenever the party is in opposition.

“When the party is in opposition that is what we do; the burden on the party becomes too much. If you have sitting MPs, those constituencies do not rely on the party so much, but you realise that we’ve lost several seats and so the pressure on the party will be more than it used to be. So I don’t see any wrong in the party asking former appointees to donate some of their monies earned legitimately when we were in power. We are not demanding an exact amount or percentage from them, we asked them to think about it themselves and get back to us with whatever they think they can help the party with.”

The meeting with former Ministers last Monday reportedly was very heated as some of the ex-public officials didn’t take kindly to party’s request for financial support. Former Minister for Fisheries, Sherry Ayittey is said to have blasted the party executives demanding that they first render an account of the party’s finances before any monies would come from them.

Commenting on the matter, Anita Desoso said whoever put out such information must be ashamed of himself, adding that making a request from party members is in order.

“How do people expect us to run the party, do they want us to sell cocaine or human beings to raise funds? If through the party you were made a minister or a deputy or for that matter any public officials and it's now payback time, that is a fair deal.”