<<Print>>

The General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, popularly known as General Mosquito, has claimed the position of prima donna in the governing party, virtually blackmailing the party in the process. As if to remind members of the NDC that he was irreplaceable, Mr. Asiedu Nketia threatened to relinquish his post if party delegates voted for executives who he said were disloyal to the party. General Mosquito who had succeeded in overpowering NDC founder ex-President Jerry John Rawlings over the last six years, now determines the pulse and direction of the NDC including brazenly influencing how delegates should vote in the ruling party�s upcoming congress that will elect national officers. Speaking at the campaign launch of the incumbent national chairman, Dr. Kwabena Adjei who is battling three others for reelection, the General Secretary said some of the current executives had shirked their responsibilities at the party headquarters and had hardly attended any meetings. Currently standing unopposed, Mr. Asiedu Nketia warned he will step aside should delegates give the mandate to people he said were not loyal to the �cause of the NDC.� Even though he did not mention the names of the disloyal people, political watchers believed he was taking a swipe at Kofi Adams, spokesperson for former president Rawlings who is contesting for the position of the National Organiser. It would be recalled General Mosquito orchestrated the suspension of Kofi Adams as NDC Deputy General Secretary after the 2011 �FONKAR GAMES� in which the latter supported former first lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings in the failed attempt to unseat late President Atta Mills as the party�s presidential candidate for the 2012 general election. He believed Kofi Adams was not loyal to the cause of NDC, accusing him of leaking party information to political opponents. �The next most important thing is loyalty; loyalty to the cause of the NDC. Are you dealing with people who when they lose elections they begin singing with the opposition; dining with the opposition. Are you going to elect leaders who have no problem leaking insider party information to the opposition? General Mosquito warned a section of the party delegates. �If that is what you are about to do then please, I beg you, even though no one is contesting me don�t take me for granted, at the end of the day I will also have to decide with my family whether I will contest or not and it depends on the people you put in the team, if I know that team will be a useless endeavour I will not waste my time on that. �Let me tell you, the best gauge of a person�s conduct in the future is his conduct in the past. That is why it is important to review the backgrounds of the various candidates and to find out how loyal they have been to the party and that will tell you how loyal they will continue to be with the party moving forward. �We are facing a very dangerous opposition where our opponents have more control of resources than we do. It is possible for our opponents to even sponsor candidates into our ranks to create the disunity they like so much, so let us watch out. Review the backgrounds of the various candidates and be able to cast a wise vote. �There is a whole world of difference between operating from party office and operating from Peace FM. So if you are elected to do your work come to the office and do your work and you�ll have time to respond to radio interviews� and if you go and elect leaders who will go to radio stations and when you want to organise meetings they are not available then I�m sorry you can�t win elections. So don�t let us judge people by media appearances,� Gen. Mosquito warned. He described Dr. Adjei as the best person to occupy the national chairman position due to his experience and cordial relationship with his current executives. �On my way here somebody said, �are you going to endorse Dr Kwabena Adjei?� I said, Dr Kwabena Adjei doesn�t need my endorsement. He is an endorsement in himself, because your records will speak for you. Any other candidate who wants me on his platform at a launching I will be available but I will come with the record I know about that person and then will relate those record� Don�t let us judge people by media appearance. It means more than that to the chairman and the general secretary and the organiser.� Dr. Adjei (aka Wayoo wayo) is being challenged by the National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Kofi Portuphy; Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, a former General Secretary of NDC and Dan Abodakpi, former Ghana Ambassador to Malaysia and former Member of Parliament for Keta Constituency in the Volta region.