You can’t use NDC constitution to gag me – Amidu tells petitioners

Former Attorney General, Martin Amidu has hit back at NDC members purported to have petitioned the main opposition party for his suspension from the NDC.

Amidu contends the threats of disciplinary action against him by certain individuals of the party will not stop him from defending the Constitution and laws of Ghana which are superior to the NDC Constitution.

In a rebuttal he penned Wednesday, Amidu said:”I was not surprised that the petition followed immediately after Valerie Sawyerr’s lying, incoherent, disjointed and drunken-like diatribes against former President Rawlings and me. Clearly the John Mahama faction, their surrogates like Valerie Sawyerr and the petitioners who admit to being failed parliamentary candidates at the last elections and others mentors within the NDC think they can frighten core NDC members like myself with threats of disciplinary action. I will rather defend the 1992 Constitution than be intimidated by John Mahama, Woyome, and their surrogates’ unconstitutional petitions.”

He maintains, he’ll not be disturbed by the unrelenting pressure from his party over his hard line against corruption and bad conduct of public officials because the country is bigger than any party.

He adds: “Let those who oppose the fight against corruption in the NDC and who also dislike probity and accountability which I stand for with former President Rawlings do their worst.”

According to him, he cannot betray that cause and the 1992 Constitution out of which the NDC was born.

“The NDC is a political party and cannot use its subordinate constitution to gag citizens from the exercise of their constitutional rights to speak against unconstitutional conduct and actions of a Government even if it supported it to come to power. The Constitution recognizes a President as the Executive Authority of Ghana and not a political party,” he stressed.

The National Executive Committee of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been petitioned to take disciplinary action against former Attorney General Martin Amidu.

The NDC running mate to late Prof. JEA Mills in the 2000 elections, has been a thorn in the flesh of the NDC as he has consistently publicly attacked his fellow party members who are government appointees accusing them of engaging in corruption.

The petition was filed by two party members Lawyer Evans Amankwah and Abigail Elorm Mensah.

According to the duo, Mr. Amidu, “with exceptional determination and consistency and through many publications and other actions, conducted himself in a manner that has:

1. Brought and continues to bring the Party into disrepute and public ridicule contrary to Article 46(8) of the Party’s constitution; and b. weakened Party unity and cohesion contrary to article 45 of the party’s constitution.”

Their petition stressed that Mr. Amidu’s posturing is “carefully designed to expose the Party to public hatred, ridicule and opprobrium and to lower its reputation in Ghana and elsewhere.”
The petition added: “Accordingly, we wish the Executive Committee of the Party to take steps to bring disciplinary actions against the Accused.

2. We are willing and ready to assist the Executive Committee in investigating the matters listed above further with the aim of upholding the constitution of the Party."