…after declaring that Rawlings is not the Founder of the NDC

By Aaron Okyere

Dr. Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister of Environment, Science & Technology ought to resign after stating clearly that Former President Rawlings is not the Founder of the NDC.

He made this outrageous statement recently on Metro TVs “Good Morning Ghana” programme. By his statement, this Deputy Minister made it abundantly clear that he does not respect the Constitution of the NDC which states unequivocally in Article 25 Clause 1A, B and C that the Founder of the party is Jerry John Rawlings.

The Daily Post holds that Dr. Omane Boamah ought to apologise for his ‘blasphemy’ or resign his position as Deputy Minister in the NDC government because his act can only amount to a disrespect of the party’s constitution. The Deputy Minister is a known NPP activist and a member of the defunct Committee for Joint Action, CJA, a pressure group that campaigned variously against the hardships imposed on Ghanaians by the erstwhile NPP government. (This paper is not aware that he has publicly renounced his NPP membership) Though many NDC supporters hoped that he would deliver as a Deputy Minister, he has become more synonymous with Rawlings bashing than anything else.

Dr. Boamah has never been known to challenge the positions of J.B. Danquah and K.A Busia as Founding Fathers of the NPP or that of Kwame Nkrumah as Founder of the CPP. But, he has had the temerity to challenge the position of Rawlings as the Founder of the NDC!

The only reason the Daily Post can adduce for the Deputy Minister’s view is the one Kweku Baah, a Former Vice-Chairman of the NDC held about one Karl Gray Kwasi Intsiful who dragged the NDC to court in 2005 to challenge Rawlings’ position as Founder of the party.

Says Mr. Kweku Baah: “the writ was calculated to embarrass the NDC, create confusion among the rank and file of members”.

What better reason can there be for Dr. Boamah to also declare that Rawlings is not the Founder of the NDC than to embarrass the party and create confusion among its rank and file?

For the avoidance of doubt, that Rawlings is Founder of the NDC as per the NDC constitution was confirmed on Tuesday, December 13, 2005 when the Supreme Court struck out a writ brought before it by one Karl Gray Kwasi Intsiful.

The now defunct pro-NPP newspaper, The Statesman, in its reportage on the matter writes;

“The five-member panel presided over by Ms Justice Sophia Akuffo arrived at the decision after Fredua Agyeman, counsel for Intsiful, informed the Court that he had withdrawn the suit. The four other members of the panel were Dr Justice Seth Twum, Dr Justice Date Baah, Professor Justice Tawiah Modibo Ocran and Mr Justice R T Aninakwah.

Mr Intsiful’s lawyer told the Court that he was withdrawing the writ because it contained certain flaws, but he did not indicate what those flaws were. Consequently, the Court struck out the application as having been withdrawn. The Court did not award any cost against the Plaintiff.

When the case was called, Mr Intsiful was absent. Bede Ziedeng, Acting General Secretary of the NDC, and its representative were also not in court, but they later showed up. Kwaku Baah was there to defend the Party while Ayikoi Otoo, Attorney-General, who was served with a copy of the writ, was also present. Mr Intsiful, a resident of Senya-Adawso in the Central Region, filed the suit seeking a declaration from the Supreme Court against the NDC that in law, former President Rawlings was not the founder of the Party. He was also asking the Court to declare that the NDC constitution, which affirms Mr Rawlings as the sole founder of the party, was not consistent with the 1992 Constitution. In a statement in opposition, Mr Baah submitted that the NDC had been in existence since its founding in 1992, under the leadership of former President Rawlings.

He further submitted that no part of the party’s constitution was in breach of the 1992 Constitution or any law of the land. Mr Baah stated that on the question of the founding and registration of NDC, the party complied with all the provisions of the Constitution and all the laws in the statute books. He contended that the writ was not only brought in bad faith, but it was also calculated to embarrass the NDC, create confusion among the rank and file of members and not to advance any democratic cause. Mr Baah, therefore, asked the Court to dismiss the writ. Among NDC functionaries present in court were Tony Aidoo, former Deputy Minister of Defence; Squadron Leader Clend Sowu, former Member of Parliament for Anlo and Victor Smith, Special Assistant to former President Rawlings”.

Dr. Omane Boamah now has only two honourable choices to make for slapping the NDC constitution in the face; he must either apologise and withdraw the comment he made or resign.

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