NDC’s posture is arrogant – expelled member
A National Democratic Congress (NDC) member contesting as an independent parliamentary candidate in the Wa West Constituency, Farouk Bandana, has slammed the NDC for directing expelled members not to campaign for the party’s presidential candidate.
This followed the party’s decision to expel 23 members contesting as independent candidates in the 2016 elections.
The NDC, in a statement signed by the General Secretary of the party, explained that the party expelled the members because the 23 persons breached the party’s constitution.
The party also directed the independent candidates to stop campaigning with the party’s colors and suggested that those campaigning for only the NDC Flagbearer, President John Mahama, without the NDC parliamentary candidates did not have the party’s interests at heart.
In an interview with Citi News’ Sixtus Dong Ullo however, Mr. Bandana, said he was at peace with his expulsion from the NDC but insisted that the party could not prevent him from campaigning for President Mahama.
“To say that nobody should use the names of key party executives or the President in their campaign – I don’t know how they seek to interpret that. I don’t know really know what that means. I think it is quite arrogant posturing. The decision by the NEC [National Executive Committee] is quite arrogant and I don’t think that is how our democracy should be handled.”
Mr. Bandana asserted that expulsion could not be “used to curtail the freedom of choice of any individual because if you tell me I cannot even tell people to campaign for the President, you cannot tell me that.”
Samson Abu urges expelled members to accept suspension
The NDC MP for the Lawra Constituency going independent, Samson Abu, toed a similar line as he said it would be unfair for the party to bar the expelled members from campaigning for the President.
Mr. Abu, argued that he had the right to choose and campaign for whomever he wished to be President.
“The President needs votes and the President needs my vote as well. Whether I belong to a party or I am an independent person, I have the right to choose my President. Whilst I am choosing I have the right to seek the support of others for us to toe the same line or to all support the same President.”
Samson Abu
Mr. Abu also urged the the expelled members to accept their suspension from the party in good faith saying, “all those going independent should receive this information in good faith because once you know you are going independent, you should know that the rules of the party must come into play,” he said.
citifmonline.com
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