It’s now clear that Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom of the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) is a victim of his party’s massive gains in the run-up to the December 7th, 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.
That sudden massive Nduom political cult-figure certainly constitutes a major headache to President John Dramani Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Thus the only way possible to curtail the Nduom scare is by proxy usage of such state institutions like the Electoral Commission (EC), the Daily Graphic and lately the Economic and Organised Crime Organisation (EOCO) to do the hatchet bidding of President Dramani Mahama and his NDC cohorts.
President Dramani Mahama and especially his hangars-on at the presidency are beginning to feel the uncomfortable bargain in the case involving Dr. Nduom and the EC.
The disqualification of Dr. Nduom by the EC, Today can state on authority, was the first of the many machinations being employed by President Dramani Mahama to get Dr. Nduom out of the presidential race at all cost.
But President Dramani Mahama seems to have a real bargain in the on-going EC versus Nduom case at the High Court.
The stoical defence put up by Dr. Nduom’s lead counsel, Nii Ayi Kwei Otoo, on the first day sitting in that landmark case might have descended on President Dramani Mahama and his NDC that the court case could not come that easy for the EC.
So the need for Plan B!
That, Today discovered, is to use other State institutions like the EOCO and the Daily Graphic.
Yesterday, October 24, 2016, the Daily Graphic splashed on its front page that Dr. Nduom was being invited by the EOCO to come and account for the source of GH1.7 million nomination fees he paid for PPP parliamentary candidates and that of his own GH50,000.00 filing fees that he paid from a GN Bank account.
The story sought to create the impression that Dr. Nduom, who is the largest shareholder of GN Bank, was using deposits of customers to fund his political party.
Ironically neither Dr. Nduom nor PPP received any letter to that effect from the EOCO.
The Daily Graphic did not also bother to find out from Dr. Nduom the authenticity or otherwise of the EOCO’s claim.
Top editorial team members of Daily Graphic have since denied knowledge of any such story before the paper went to bed.
They were equally shocked to have seen the story on the front page of the paper yesterday morning.
The same Daily Graphic reported last Saturday, October 21st, 2016 that disqualified aspirants were hot because the police CID was on their heels.
That report was in stark contrast to Dr. Nduom’s meeting with the top hierarchy of the CID last Friday, a day before the Daily Graphic publication.
Ghana’s political history, especially during the period of Jerry John Rawlings’ Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) and its quasi-military antecedent of NDC 1 are replete with the draconian usage of such State institutions, especially the EOCO, then known as Serious Fraud Office (SFO), to harass and torment many well-meaning Ghanaian businessmen and politicians who did not ascribe to the ideals of the P(NDC).
Today, President Dramani Mahama and his surrogates are re-enacting similar means to cow their political opponents, particularly Dr. Papa Kwesi Nduom, into submission.
But for the obvious chicanery, top PPP insiders believe if the EOCO were to conduct proper investigations, they would have found out that the PPP runs an account with GN Bank.
The sources of that account are very visible that any legally mandated State investigative agency like the EOCO would not have had any problem ascertaining the sources of PPP’s accounts at GN Bank.
Indeed it’s only the PPP that has its fully audited accounts with the EC; and so if the EOCO meant good, it would have ascertained easily every single source of PPP funding.
The rush to go into using another State institution like the Daily Graphic clearly offers an indication yet about how edgy the President and the Flagstaff House have become in the face of the Nduom surge in numbers in the run-up to the December 7 presidential polls.
Today has discovered that the PPP is being funded by party executives, members, sympathisers and other well-meaning Ghanaians who support the party’s proactive and pragmatic approach to national issues.
The paper established from sleuth hounding why Dr. Nduom has instantly become a political hit target.
Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrissu, himself confirmed Dr. Nduom was disturbing the NDC in northern Ghana at a recent forum organised by the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in Accra.
Others are admitting the Nduom surge on the quiet.
The NDC thus believe with the kind of inroads being made by Dr. Nduom, the 2016 election could push for a second round which outcome as per history of run-offs in 4th Republic suggest that President Dramani Mahama will easily lose to any one of the two top candidates in a run-off.
Indeed President Dramani Mahama hates being tagged as the first 4th Republican President to have run a four-year term. Many political watchers have predicted that Dr. Nduom will automatically become the President if he should go to a run-off with any one of the two leading contenders.
John Dramani Mahama and the NDC are also aware of the scare that an Nduom run-off scenario portends.
But what President Dramani Mahama and his surrogates are scared stiff is being in a run-off with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
NDC insiders have hinted Today that “there is no way Dr. Nduom will support the NDC in a run-off” because in their estimation, Dr. Nduom has a certain cordial relationship with the NPP, with the grounds being that Dr. Nduom worked under an NPP administration then headed by President John Agyekum Kufuor.
Again, the NDC contends in a case scenario where Dr. Nduom refuses to endorse Akufo-Addo in a run-off, their intelligence (as per research made by the BNI and the National Security) suggests that more than 80% of PPP and Nduom supporters will vote Akufo-Addo and the opposition NPP.
So out of the two leading opponents—Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Dr. Nduom, John Dramani Mahama and the NDC seem to find Dr. Nduom easier to succumb to their Machiavellian game plan.
“Indeed what a wrong calculation!,” a top PPP man laughed off the NDC political calculation.
Therefore the only way to avoid all such heartaches is to get Nduom out of the race for the NDC to have an open one-one dirty, intimidating confrontation with the NPP, hoping that they will prevail by using their governmental and political machineries.
So far, it is evidently clear that President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC are over exploiting their incumbent advantage.
So the plot is thickening. The NDC permutation is to get Nduom out of the race to avoid any possible run-off in this year’s elections.
Source: Today
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Mahama is worse than Eyadema....
the ndc in recent times have seen defeat in any strategy they try to entangle on their opponents. 1. They used Malory(Africa Watch Magazine) and said Nana Addo was sick, it failed and now everybody knows Malory is struggling with an unbearable sense of shame 2. They used Koku Anyidoho to describe Dr Bawumia as MMUmtum Banzza and it also failed as Koku Anyidohos academic credentials cant even match a quarter of Dr Bawumia. 3. They used Allotey Jacobs and said Dr Bawumia's education was sponsored by the NDC but it turned out to be lies as Bawumia was even in school when the NDC were not in power then (1991) 4. They used Julius Deberah and said Nana Addo shouldnt drink kalypo because sugar is bad for the health. They were the same people who boasted of the Komenda Sugar factory which isnt even functional. they want to kill local industries 5. Prez Mahama comes to make a claim that he doesnt know the cost of redenomination but it turns out that it is in the public domain.another disgrace to the NDC 6. The NDC says they have abolished teacher and nursing training allowances and that they are not afraid if they will vote against them. they come back to say we will restore it. (COWARDS) 7. They used the BNI under Baba Kamara to humiliate the 3 south Africans who came to train npp guards. They later sensed the disgrace coming to them and made them leave the country even when the case was in court.(INcompetence) IT GOES ON AND ON, NOW THEY WANT TO USE EOCO TO FRUSTRATE DR NDUOM.HMMM FRUSTRATIONS OF AN IMPENDING DEFEAT. I REST MY CASE
NDOUM DOES NOT COUNT IN THE EQUATION. IN FACT NDOUMS' PARTICIPATION WILL BE IN THE INTEREST OF MAHAMA, SINCE HE DRAWS SUPPORT FROM DISGRUNTLED NPP SUPPORTERS.
This type of childish lies must be stoped. it is time for people to grow up and stop these kind of lies. Nduom was part in 2012 general elections but could not pull anything reasonable to earn him the presidency. why must you tell lies. Why is it that you did not say is NPP that want to avoid run-off because they know they might win? such stuup*t f001s must be avoided in our current system because they have no any reasonable campiagn massege for the good people of Ghana. But NPP is behind all these lies for a possible merging or team up with PPP. SHAME TO THEM ALL THE GOOD LORD WILL EXPOSE THEM COME DECEMBER,2016 WHEN JM WILL BE PRONOUNCED PRESIDENT OF GHANA.
I am inclibed to believe this inference by the paper. Honestly, the flimsy excuse by the EC to disqualify Dr Nduom leaves much to be desired. Just issue with one of his subscribers? As for the Ayarigas and Akua Donkors, they were added as decoy. Mahamah is starring at defeat and his campaign is clearly going nowhere. The courts will deliver justice. The EC is allowing herself to be used by the NDC for these things. So many unnecessary court suits which are really unavoidable. Ghana needs and wants peace. God will crown Nana Addo with victory this time around. If for nothing at all, for his patience 4 years agao when it was clear that he has been cheated. The Battle is really the Lord's. This Mahamah has not performed; he has presided over too much corruption and he will go. He can frustrate Nduom till where, the courts I trust will deliver justice
Killer baagbo laasho. If you see a snake being stoned to death you realize that people who has blood in their hands do not die easily. They want people to accompany them. Yin Fol) sum)) afo)eyi. Good will triumph over evil because "NOBODY CAN USE THE NAME OF OUR GOD IN VAIN" IN SHAK ALLAH