The cracks in the ruling National Democratic Congress continue to be deepened each passing day following the spirited fight for control of the soul of the party.

The fight has pitched many factions against the so-called Gonja Mafia or Octopus, that is dedicated to advancing the cause of President John Dramani Mahama.

The fight is getting more fierce between the Fante confederacy, led by the once very powerful Ahwoi brothers, and the Gonja Mafia.

The Ahwois, who exercised the greatest amount of power and control in the NDC under the presidency of the late President John Evans Mills, have now been relegated to the background in the scheme of affairs of the current administration under President Mahama.

They are desperately seeking to take back the party by sponsoring the boss of the National Disaster Management Organisation, Kofi Portuphy, to contest the chairmanship of the party. The NADMO boss has confirmed his plans to contest the chairmanship race of the party.

Members of the Fante confederacy believe that, with Mr Portuphy as the chairman of the party, they could return to exercise the kind of control they use to have in the scheme of affairs of the party.

The New Statesman can also disclose that some ministers of state are also forming factions to counter what they see as the “spreading tentacles” of the Gonja Octopus.

Information available to the paper indicates that members of the Gonja Octopus are trying to run their ministries for them by determining what the priority contracts are and who should be awarded such contracts.

Another faction is made up of the large and influential group of former ministers in the Mills administration, who did not find favour with the Mahama administration. They are in this faction with some disappointed NDC members of parliament.

According to sources in the NDC, many members of this faction have vowed not to campaign for the party in the event of a re-run of the 2012 presidential election, which they anticipate would be necessitated by the verdict that would be given by the Supreme Court hearing the election petition brought before it by three leading members of the NPP.

Our information indicates that the NDC is frantically preparing for a runoff, with some MPs from the North ‘secretly’ engaged in a campaign in their constituencies.

Another major cause of the friction that is said to be undermining the authority of President John Dramani Mahama is his indecisiveness. He is now secretly called ‘His Excellency Promise And Fail.’