NDC Group To Defect To Other Parties?

In spite of Dr Kwesi Botchwey’s vehement denial of any knowledge of his follower plotting to leave the NDC, another group of aggrieved persons have indicated their intent to defect to other minority party.

This time the people are from the Ashanti Region like what was reported last Friday but from the Eastern Region. Mainly they complained that they were intimidated and subjected to various attacks by followers of the opponent of Botchwey, Professor John Mills.

Among the reasons the one that those threatening to defect said hurt them most was the fact that they were coerced from exercising their democratic right to vote for Botchwey who was the candidate of their choice.

According to a “Chronicle” source, the aggrieved party supporters have also threatened to revenge by making the campaign of Prof Mills, in the 2004 elections a hectic one that is, campaigning against the NDC.

A die hard NDC member who felt victim to the intimidation’s whose name we are withholding at her request narrated how they were heckled and pounced on. The supporter said, they would have been happy to cast their votes without fear or favour so that whoever emerged the winner could enjoy the support of all.

“But looking at the way the whole went, it was not free, fair and just which has created a lot of bitterness in us”, she lamented. “Chronicle intelligence has gathered that the congress was hijacked by certain party wigs which prevented followers of Dr Kwesi Botchwey from passing the night at Legon where the congress had been scheduled to take place.

Because of that more than 60 delegates who were going to cast their votes that day, were camped at the Aburi Botanic Gardens when they sensed of intimidation, which actually took place.

The paper also gathered that, when conditions were not favouring followers of Kwesi Botchwey, some key campaign managers sneaked out to join his group at Aburi around 1:30am that fateful day.

“Chronicle investigations in some of the districts also revealed that strong NDC supporters who have been doing the talking for the party have now recoiled after the congress.

There were other revelations where some of supporters out of anger over the way they were manhandled, just burnt their party paraphernalia after they have returned with full of hurt.

“Chronicle” can now report that the intimidation was planned because at the last meeting with party members by the founder at Koforidua where sympathisers of Mills kept on threatening delegates of what was going to happen to them should they vote for Kwesi Botchwey.

The delegates were in fact not shaken by the threats as they were well composed by not showing signs of who they were supporting at the time. But it became reality when they went to the congress.

Another information the paper gathered was that after the congress, some party executives who sympathised with Dr Botchwey had deserted the regional office for reasons best known to them.

Other supporters who were loyal to Dr Botchwey keep on receiving accusations and insults from the colleagues who were in support of Prof Mills. When contacted for his comments after several attempts to talk to the Regional Chairman Ohene Kena, had proved futile, the Eastern Regional Organiser of the NDC, Bismark Tawiah Boateng denied having any knowledge of the break away move by any group in the region.

He denied that some members were intimidated and thanked all the delegates from the region for the congress a “successful one”. The regional organiser pointed out that party’s opponents are not its leaders but rather the New Patriotic Party (NPP) so all members have to start working hard to ensure that come 2004, the NDC comes back to power.

Tawiah Boateng called on all sympathisers of Dr Botchwey and Prof Mills to put their differences behind them so that together as one people they can move the party forward.