Ahwoi Brothers Hijack NDC

... Radicals, old guards on collision course

ATTEMPTS BY the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to rid itself of its old image and infuse new blood into its system appears to be failing, according to The Chronicle sources in the party.

People like the Ahwoi brothers, who represent the problematic old face of the party, have found a way back to the centre stage of the party after months of high-key scheming.

The CASHPRO and Radio Gold duo have recently been under the lenses of Joshua Hamidu’s boys, who are sniffing around for information on how CASHPRO, for instance, came to owe several banks ?96 billion, the equivalent of $10 million.

The recent struggle in the NDC is essentially the struggle about winning the heart and mind of Prof. Evans Atta Mills and this the Ahwoi brothers have succeeded in doing at the peril of the party!

Other “old guard” elements, who now frequently consort with Mills, include the extrovert Enoch Teye Mensah, very soon to be outdoored as Nkosuohene of Ningo Prampram, David Lamptey, Fred Ohene Kena and Ohena Agyekum, who was accused a few years ago of “driving his fingers into the eyes of the Asantehene” when he was the Ashanti Regional Minister.

These men constitute candidate Mills’ “brains trust” at his Kuku Hill campaign office, where programmes and strategies are reportedly drawn up without the knowledge and input of hardworking headquarters staff, mostly young radicals of the NDC youth forum. Headquarters staff remains largely unpaid, in spite of The Chronicle revelation and the low morale that the situation is creating for the young men and women.

There is also a bigger headache at the campaign headquarters in Accra, where Kwamena Ahwoi has been handpicked over and above campaign managers as the key Mills man. While campaign managers have no desks, Mr. Ahwoi runs a comfortable office.

Kwamena Ahwoi is behind the Ghana Palaver, known for its churning of dirt on political opponents whether in the NDC or the New Patriotic Party (NPP). The Palaver is yet to dig into Kwamena Ahwoi’s past when he headed the dreaded Citizens Vetting Committee (CVC) in the PNDC era and, when together with a certain C. K. Mawuenyegah, hid behind screens and quizzed hapless victims on how they came to own table-top refrigerators.

Be that as it may, the Ahwoi brothers have taken the Mills campaign by the scruff of the neck. At a recent forum organized to protest against the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) held at the Arts Centre in Accra, Kwamena Ahwoi was literally forced to act as spokesman. The brothers were clearly seen in the last “Kafo Didi” march in Kumasi whilst elected representatives of the party were pushed aside.

Eyebrows have also been raised about the Mills campaign’s effort in the Greater Accra region, where the party is likely to make a better showing if all goes well. Known heavyweights originating from the region have been conspicuously missing in action. Insiders told The Chronicle that the “Ahwoi Brothers and Co. Ltd.” have been scheming to sideline particular individuals who end up not being notified about Mills programmes and itineraries.

During Mills’ courtesy call on the Ga Traditional Council where he donated hard cash towards the Homowo Festival, notable Ga traditional leaders and their followers were openly wondering why key party figures from the region were not present.

The Chronicle also gathered that Mills and his team go through Greater Accra and other non-Akan regions insisting on speaking Twi and Fanti to address audiences that hardly understand these dialects. Mills risks squandering significant goodwill at a time the party appears to be gaining grounds. In the process, he might also be alienating quite a chunk of well-intentioned NDC leadership and membership who might feel being marginalized,”

The Chronicle was told. The younger corps in the party alleged that it was this same group of people who went into hiding in the immediate period after the loss of power. The old guards have a link with the PNDC and AFRC regimes. With friends like the Ahwois, does Mills need any enemies?” They warned.

“The NDC will now have to decide whether elected and constitutionally mandated functionaries should be sufficiently resourced to carry out their duties or un-elected goons with private resources to defeat the elective principles of democracy.”