Politics of Thursday, 12 May 2016

Source: Chronicle

NDC Foot soldiers fight over campaign cash

There was near commotion at Puios Hotel, located at Pankrono-Atimatim on Monday night, after two pressure groups who have allegiance to the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), clashed over campaign for President John Dramani Mahama, ahead of the November 2016 elections.

Members of Friends of Atta Mills, Prof. Mills Movement and Strong Pillars of JDM 2016, were engaged in a war of words during a meeting to discuss strategies aimed at supporting President Mahama in the November 7 election.

The confusion arose when the National organizer of one of the groups, Strong Pillars of JDM 2016, Issah Mohammed, suggested that the groups should stop campaigning until they received invitation from the National Campaign Team of the President.

Issah Mohammed, popularly known as ‘Mechanic,’ was of the view that the group could not continue to expend its energy and resources on the president second term ambition, when they were yet to receive recognition from the campaign team.

According to sources close to the meeting, the National organizer of the Strong Pillars of JDM 2016 accused other leading members of collecting money from the president and refusing to make a disclosure to other members.

Mohammed, who was incensed by the rumours, therefore, insisted that there was no need for the group to continue to move across the country to propagate the message of the NDC.

He was alleged to have particularly singled out the National Coordinator, Gabriel Aggah, accusing him of having received huge financial package form the Flag Staff house and additionally being sponsored to travel abroad.

His assertion was, however, challenged by Gabriel Aggah, who denied receiving any cash from the President.

In the process, Mohammed was asked to leave the meeting as his presence was causing serious distraction to the deliberations.

The National Coordinator of the Movement however defended that the group should continue its grassroots campaigning in the interest of the NDC. Meanwhile, Gabriel Aggah has confirmed the incident to The Chronicle, but refused to give any details, insisting that the issue was an internal party affair and would not want to discuss it in the media.