John Mahama¹S Nomination Unconstitutional?

The President of the Republic of Ghana and the Leader and Flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for elections 2012, H. E. John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills has nominated his running mate for election 2012 as required by the Constitution of the NDC and the Constitution of Ghana.

The choice of the President is the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana H. E. John Dramani Mahama; A choice which does not come as a surprise to any NDC member or the people of Ghana at large.

³Mr. Anyidoho termed President Mills¹ decision as ³conventional wisdom² since that was exactly what every NDC faithful was expecting.² This is probably because once the sham NDC congress elected the President on the basis of ³good work and continuity² (according to the Presidency), President Mills had no choice except to keep the Œwinning team¹, hence John¹s nomination.

Let me take this opportunity to congratulate H. E. John Dramani Mahama on his nomination. I think he has worked for it!! When he (at the launch of the President¹s campaign for the NDC flag-bearership race at Kuku Hill) asked Nana Konadu to ³bring it on², he obviously anticipating how he will be Œpromoted¹ for the second time to get nearer to the main throne very soon.

But I am sorry to reveal to the people of Ghana that John Mahama¹s nomination (even though not surprising) is causing a lot of tension within the circles of the ruling Party.

Many have questioned the timing of this nomination. This strange nomination comes barely a month after the President¹s election in Sunyani. They wonder why the attention has not been on how to reconcile the Party as promised by the President in Sunyani. The President in his victory speech promised the Party people that his first agenda after the congress would be to stretch a Œunity hand¹ to Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings but the last time I checked from a source very close to the Former First Lady, ZERO effort had been made in that regard. Party people are for example, questioning why the haste to have an announcement of a running mate when it was obvious who the choice was going to be. The NDC is currently buffeting and needs UNITY now more so than these announcements.

Thousands of Party members have also questioned why the Founding Father of the NDC was not consulted or even informed before the announcement came into the media. I have heard the National Organizer of the NDC, Yaw Boateng Gyan argue that the Founding father who was widely known to be outside of Ghana at the time of the announcement was invited through a purported letter which am told did not have a clear agenda for that meeting. This attempt by Mr. Yaw Boateng Gyan to ridicule the position of the Founding Father of the NDC to say the least ³betrays his intelligence² (credit: Hon. James Agyenim Boateng on news file ­ 6/08/11).

Mr. Yaw Boateng Gyan has always tried but failed to reduce the position of the Founding Father of the NDC to an ordinary member of the Party; as if to tell President Rawlings to bug off the NDC, he has impugned that President Rawlings is useless in the Party so the ³NDC will win election 2012 with or without Rawlings². I think that the earlier he discontinues his unwelcome commentary on the Founding father of the NDC, the better for him and his position.

The Communications Director at the Presidency who has disappointed the people of Ghana by failing to inform Ghanaians as to whether or not H. E. Dr. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has sent a request of money and appointments for her people to the President as reported by Ben Epson (a well known Œwork and pay¹ Journalist in Ghana) has also been reported in the news. According to myjoyonline.com, Koku Anyidoho had said on Asempa fm that ³Mills does not need to confer with Rawlings to select a running mate².

Does Koku Anyidoho have a copy of the NDC Constitution at all? Am sure he does not and needs one urgently before he continues to speak to this particular issue in the media. I can only afford to inform Koku on what the Constitution says on the issue at hand.

A lot more Party people have realized that the Constitution of the NDC was not respected in arriving at Vice President Mahama¹s nomination.

Article 45 of the NDC Constitution relates to the ³choice of the vice presidential candidates². It states ³The Party¹s Presidential Candidate shall nominate his running mate in consultation with the National Executive Committee and the Council of Elders.² (Emphasis is mine).

Again, Article 25 which establishes the council of Elders brings to the fore the composition of the Council and the role of President Rawlings. Article 25 (c) states ³The Founding Father of the Party shall be the Chairman of the Council² Now the query is, who is the Founding Father?

Article 6 which establishes the NDC Party and without it, there will be no NDC, gives an answer to the above query. It states ³The Founding Father of the party is Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings upon whose vision and leadership the party was established²

I have painfully checked, double-checked and cross-checked from the office of the Founding Father of the NDC whether there has been any meeting of the Council of Elders after the Sunyani Congress and the answer I received is in the negative; at least not even one that they are aware of in the absence of the Founding father of the NDC.

I think that Koku should be well informed now that President Mills must consult the Council of Elders at least through President Rawlings before any announcement of a running mate is made.

Now that it has been established that the Council of Elders of the NDC has not met and been consulted on the nomination of the running mate, does John Mahama¹s nomination become null and void? A probing question that will stand-by for answers through their usual rejoinders.

BROGYA GENFI

egenfi@yahoo.com ; +233 249582140

(Author is an NDC Youth Activist and a member of the Communications & Research committee in Ashanti ­ NDC)