Mubarak: NDC party gurus bribed delegates with GH¢3,000, phones

A defeated National Youth Organiser of the ruling NDC has accused party leaders of bribing delegates in the just ended Congress held in Sunyani on Saturday. Ras Mubarak alleges that Western Regional delegates were given, GH¢3,000 each as well as mobile phones as inducement before casting their votes. Mubarak lost to Ludwik Hlose who is secretary at the office of the Chief of Staff in a competitive election which saw Anita De Souza being elected as National Women’s Organiser. I can inform you on authority that Western Regional delegates were given ¢30,000,000 (GH¢3,000) on the afternoon before election. I can tell you on authority that mobile phones were distributed in the evening and morning before elections,” he told Joy News’ Sammy Darko in an interview. Asked if he could substantiate his allegations, Mubarak responded in the affirmative, saying “to win an election in NDC, you either have to belong to the Rawlings camp or the Castle camp. Mubarak also accused party gurus of underhand manipulations in order to have Ludwik elected into office. "He was not in the race in the first place. This is someone who works in the office of the president as an aide. Automatically by the guidelines that were released by the National Executive Committee of the party, he is a government staff and did not qualify to have contested in that race," he alleged. He accused a minister, whose name he did not mention, of talking candidates out of the contest even before the elections took place. Describing Ludwik as a likeable and easy going person, Mubarak explained that his concerns were not borne out of sour grapes but out of the desire to see Ghanaian politics in which a fair playing field is created for everybody no matter the background. But the National Youth Organiser elect who takes over from Communications Minister Haruna Iddrisu has dismissed the allegations. Ludwik Hlose said his hard work and determination earned him his new position. Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana

NDC top gun rallies against JJ, wife

Mr and Mrs Rawlings Email Print Have Your Say ( 14 ) Ahead of the national delegates congress of the National Democratic congress (NDC) scheduled to take place in Tamale in the northern region, a member of the party is calling on the delegates to reject contestants perceived to be aligned to the former first couple. According to Mr Prince Diawuo, who is the Propaganda Secretary of the NDC in the Asunafo North Constituency in the Brong Ahafo Region, candidates known to belong to former President Rawlings and his wife have certain agenda they want to pursue in the party. “Those vying for various positions with links with the former first couple should not be voted for at all because they have something under their sleeves,” he said. Mr Diawuo, said that the future of the NDC depended so much on who and who are voted for various positions at the forthcoming Tamale congress. “That future will be good for the party if those who owe allegiance to former President Rawlings are made not to get anywhere closer to the party at all,” he said. He said that current ranting and doing of people closer to Rawlings should send strong signals to the delegates not vote for them. “Rawlings has had his term as president and we all supported him and it is the time of Professor Mills and we must all support him for the NDC to succeed,” he said. He told The Enquirer that although certain things may not look to some members of the NDC, the right avenues must be used, instead of attacking the President. “Rawlings at the time he was the president did lots of things that were not right but we the members of the party gave him the needed support and so must we do for Prof. Mills,” he said. Mr Diawuo said that the NDC is now in a position that it would be wrong for anybody to impose his or her ideas on the president. “Even in our various homes it is not every time that the father, who is the head of the family, can impose measures on the children. We need to accept that things have changed with time and things must be done to suit present situations,” he added. The Asunafo North NDC Propaganda Secretary said that it would be a great deal of disservice to take undue advantage of the gentle manners of the president for granted. “The NDC and for that matter Ghana is blessed to have one of the finest gentlemen in our modern politics as a leader. “It is therefore in our best interest to help such a person to be successful in his reign because he has better things for all and sundry,” he said. Mr Diawuo said that the NDC’s quest to retain power in 2012 depended on how party members carry themselves today. “My point is very simple, we must have people who will serve the interest of the NDC and not certain individuals. “It should never be about trying to please the former president but rather it should be pleasing the NDC as a party,” he added. Source: The Enquirer/Ghana