The Youth wing of National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Salaga of the East Gonja District has issue a strong warning to the appointment committee to desist from attempting to impose a district chief executive for east Gonja.
The youth says they will not accept any person outside the five people who were short listed by the district coordinating committee of the two constituencies, Salaga North and South for the appointment of DCE in the area.
Addressing a news conference in Tamale, the Salaga NDC youth wing maintained that they adopt all appropriate means to prevent anyone from imposing on them as the District Chief Executive for East Gonja.
BELOW IS THE FULL STATEMENT OF THE SALAGA NDC YOUTH WING;
PRESS CONFERENCE BY THE YOUTH WING OF THE NATIONAL
DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS (NDC), SALAGA BRANCH ON THE
IMPOSITION OF DISTRICT CHIEF EXECUTIVE (ALLEGED) FOR
THE EAST GONJA DISTRICT, SALAGA
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press herein gathered, I welcome you all on behalf of the leadership of the youth wing of the NDC in the salaga south constituency of the east
Gonja District.
Most of you were present in salaga in march this year and witness a similar press conference that was intended to advise the president on the dangers of imposing a DCE on the district without due consultations. We stressed in that encounter that we were not going to accept any person appointed for as a DCE except the person is among the five persons shortlisted by the District committee of the two constituencies: salaga north and south.
Nevertheless, it looks as if the advise we gave has been taken for granted as it is still purported that the president still intends to act against this advice. Reliable information we have indicates that the presidency and some ‘greedy bastards and evil dwarfs’-to borrow the words of our most revered founder, are trying so hard to impose a District Chief Executive on the good people of the East Gonja District. We shan’t accept this; I mean we are not going to accept any imposition of a District Chief Executive on the god people of salaga.
Ladies and Gentlemen of the press. We thought the president is a man of his words, but we never knew as a true northerner as he was brought up he could only take decisions after series of demonstrations.
But no, we will not do that. We will not destroy public property or party structures and paraphernalia,;e will not established a ‘Boko Haram’ because of that. We are well brought up in this country and this President Mahama is aware of.
The president needs to know that there are decisions we can take in salaga to affect even the entire NDC party than just burning things and shouting on the streets or beating people up. He needs to understand better the ‘plitico-chemical’dynamics of politics in East Gonja District if anyone imposes a candidate on the youth.
Permit me, distinguished ladies and gentlemen of the press, to educate the president and for that matter the NDC on the goe-politics of salaga as far as imposition of candidates is concern.
Imposition of a parliamentary candidate in 2000, made Boniface Sadique and supporters to break-way from the NDC party. This is bcause the NDC to lose the parliamentary seat in salaga to Bopniface Sadique who went independent.
Again,in 2008 elections,the NPP imposed then incumbent Hon. Boniface Sadique on the party.No primaries were held.out of anger,Hon.Boniface was humbly and peacefully voted out of office.
This was the case in 2012 again.Boniface was once a again imposed on his party faithful.once again,Ladies and gentlemen,please help us tell the NDC, that IMPOSITION is not a good thing in political discourse of salaga.Because if they dare impose on us a DCE we do not like, we will simply repeat history and WE MEAN THIS!
In fact,the president should not add ‘injuries ‘.We were already preeved by the non appointment of any of the MPs on Gonja land to a Ministerial position. The question we want to pose to His Excellency, the president, is :if none of the six MPs from Gonja land can become Ministers of state, can’t any of them also become deputy Ministers?
We expect the president’s response to this question. We strongly believe, in terms of educational qualification, work experience, loyalty to the party, commitment to the development of this country, hard work ,easy accessibility by constituents, that all our six elected MPs in Gonja land have more than these credentials. At least, Alhaji Abubakari Ibrahim dey, who defeated a strong NPP guru like Alhaji Boniface Abubakari Sadique, not once but twice, and this we believe caused him the running mastership of his party. At least he could have been rewarded with a Ministerial appointment. until he defeated Alhaji Boniface none of these so called ‘power brokers’ of east Gonja ever spent more than a day in the Salaga Township (over the eight-year period of Boniface, they feared him). Some of them were even so threatened by his presence that they refused to come to decide what should happen to us.
Democracy as a style of governance is more revered because it seeks to promote citizens participation in the development process of the country.
Democracy is government in which power and civic responsibility are exercised by all adult citizens, directly, or through their freely elected representatives.
That is why the NDC as a party set for its self as part of its objectives in its constitution to: b)attain political power through democratic and constitutional means for the purpose of creating conditions conductive to ensuring national development; and d) secure the right of each member in society to participate in decision-making in an open and democratic manner buy deferring ti the majority without sacrificing minority rights.
The objectives will definitely be defeated if the president imposes on us a candidate that is not compatible with youth. For, there shall be no conditions conductive for ensuring district level development and he shall be deferring to minority interests. This minority are the so-called ‘power brokers’-the’ evil dwarfs’ and’ greedy bastards’ of the east Gonja District in Accra.
we therefore want to use this medium to tell president John Dramani Mahama, that if indeed he is the all listening, affable, humble, honesty, accessible and down to earth leader he made us believe and voted for the party to win power, then he should disassociate himself from this allegation and do what will bring peace.
We wish to state in unequivocal terms, that we would not accept the DCE outside the five shortlisted candidates, and we also expect the President to do the appointment in constituency executives and the two Members of Parliament.
Indeed, a party like the NDC that has touted itself as Social Democrats should not be same the party to be imposing Leaders on its own grass root supporters.
We are known for participating EGALTARIAN Democracy, and we expect nothing else but that.
Indeed, it is not for nothing that the Fonder of our party has chosen this path.
Long live the NDC, long live our Founder, long live the Executive of our party, long live our president, long live Ghana’s Democracy long live the East Gonja District and long live mother GHANA.
PRESENTED BY:
BABA IDDRISU
MEMBER OF THE NDC SALAGA YOUTH WING.