Mr. Johnson Kofi Adusei,a political analyst and Member of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has stated that, the vulnerability of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to external propaganda, particularly from the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has become increasingly apparent and dangerous to its survival as a viable political party worth its sort.
Speaking to The Punch Newspaper, he said it is disheartening to witness members of the party, rather than taking a moment to analyze, continually falling for the cunning tactics of the NPP.
According to him, recently, a video surfaced featuring NDC elders swearing allegiance to the party’s interests, even at the potential cost of their own lives and those of their loved ones, evoked a sense of awe and a reminiscent feeling of the Rawlings spirit being rekindled.
He however stated that, before determining the context and date of the video, it was dismaying to observe internal dissent within the NDC.
He reiterated that, it’s perplexing that a party claiming a “boot for boot” attitude towards attaining power could dismiss such a dedicated modus operandi for securing victory.
He is of the view that, the internal conflict underscores the ease with which the NPP can manipulate the followers of the NDC, adding that, upon his own investigation, it was revealed that the video was produced in 2020 and not in 2024, just weeks before the 2020 elections.
He noted that, the initiative aimed to counter alleged rigging plans by the NPP, beginning with bribing agents in the printing houses where ballots were produced in a crucial election year.
He said, the party Elections Directorate, under Elvis Afriyie Ankrah, employed all available means, including oath-taking, to ensure unwavering commitment to the cause of victory.
According to him, the oath-taking ceremony involved party agents swearing allegiance, with individuals taking their respective oaths based on their faith—Christians by a pastor, Muslims by an Imam, and traditionalists by traditional priests.
He stated that, the current National Executives whom he spoke to, the initiative was planned to be implemented at various levels, from the national to regional and constituency levels, with those unwilling to participate being excluded.
He indicated that, the profound impact of the initiative became apparent just one week after the oath-taking. Inspired and diligent, NDC agents exposed the smuggling of one million stolen votes to the Ashanti region by NPP agents. He said the Agents who had taken the oath rejected bribery attempts, secretly recorded the illicit activities, and collaborated with party leadership and law enforcement to thwart the operation.
Mr Adusei disclosed that, with the overwhelming scandals and bad governance and corruption of the Nana Addo Bawumia government reaching intolerable levels and John Mahama’s 24 hour economy catching fire, the NPP sought to divert attention from their failures and corruption scandals, by concocting a fake story titled ‘ NDC GURUS SWEAR BLOOD OATH WITH SWORD.’ Astonishingly, even some party executives fell for this misinformation, leading to public insults directed at Elvis Afriyie Ankrah.
According to him, though, he see from afar Elvis Afriyie Ankrah’s unwavering commitment to the party’s cause, evident in his willingness to put his own life on the line, deserves commendation. He said, the unfortunate consequence of the NPP’s deceptive ploy was internal strife among NDC members, echoing the fate of President Rawlings. Saying it is serves as a stern reminder to John Mahama that the very party members he champions may, one day, betray him based on a single unfounded claim from the NPP.
Mr Johnson Kofi Adusei believes that, in moving forward, the NDC must formalize and incorporate these commitment ceremonies into its operations, ensuring key players swear allegiance to the cause, otherwise they should forget about 2024.
He noted that, a united and informed NDC, resilient against external manipulation and propaganda is what is needed can stand to achieve power in its broad objective of serving the interests of the Ghanaian people.
