<<Print>>

Highly acclaimed pollster, Mr. Ben Ephson, who is also the Managing Editor of the Daily Dispatch newspaper, believes there is growing apathy among the grass-roots or foot soldiers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which could be the bane of the party in the 2012 General Elections. Speaking in an interview on PEACEFM�s �Kokrokoo�, he explained that if this is not nipped in the bud, party faithfuls might not necessarily vote against the NDC in 2012, but the feeling of indifference and despondency could translate into them not exercising their franchise at all, adding that such a situation could adversely affect the NDC just as it did to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in last year�s elections. He has therefore cautioned the NDC leaders to quickly settle their differences before 2012, if the party intends to retain power. �Kwami,�apathy led to the NDC�s losing power in 2000 when disillusion set in their camp�apathy also contributed largely to the NPPs woes in 2008, leading to their defeat and I tell you that if the NDC does not take lessons from this, it will hit them again,� he stated. To buttress his point of deep-seated cracks within the NDC, Mr Ephson cited comments made by Mr. Allotey Jacobs, the Central Regional Propaganda Secretary of the NDC, who confessed on PEACEFM�s �Kokrokoo� that �the NDC is in big crisis�. Mr. Jacobs, who was a panelist on the show, was reacting to comments passed by the Majority Leader, Hon. Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, that �President Mills is surrounded by fair-weather friends and bootlickers, who had not played any major role in the NDC� campaign towards the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.� Similar comments were first passed by the Founder of the NDC, Ex-President Rawlings.