An unimpeachable information picked up by atinkaonline.com from the corridors of the NDC Council of Elders indicates that there is a covert plan within the Council to scuttle the 2020 comeback of former President Mahama by scheming for Alhaji Hudu Yahya and Professor Kwesi Botchwey to be elected as the National Chairman and flagbearer respectively.
A deep throat source among the Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama chaired ,NDC Council of Elders has hinted atinkaonline that the choice of Hudu Yahaya as the National Chair by the Council is to satisfy the whims of the party’s Founder, Jerry Rawlings, who has given the party some conditions to be met before he joins the party campaign for 2020.
According to our source, Jerry Rawlings’ has accepted to play an integral part of the NDC campaign and is prepared to do everything within his means to bring the NDC to power in 2020 but not with John Mahama as the Flagbearer hence his choice of Hudu Yahaya as a chairman to make the candidature of John Mahama unattractive to delegates since by convention, the National Chairman of the party and flagbearer at any point in time cannot be of the same extraction.
Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, a former General Secretary of the NDC, during the Jerry Rawlings era, is making a second attempt at the NDC chairmanship after withdrawing his candidature minutes before 2014 congress. He was contesting Dr. Kwabena Adjei, then incumbent chairman, former Minister of Trade and Industry, Dan Abodakpi and current chairman Kofi Portuphy. Alhaji Hudu Yahaya later confirmed rumours that he was impressed upon by high echelons of the party to abandon his bid minutes before voting began at the National Executives’ election in Kumasi.
He explained in a statement that the then Council of Elders of the Party had advised him to step down on ethnic grounds.
“One of the reasons as many of you might have heard was the fact that if I am elected national chairman of the NDC, together with the president and flagbearer (John Mahama) would be the two topmost leaders of the party from the same region, something those in opposition to my candidacy saw as being interpreted as a hijack of the party by Northerners, ”the statement noted.
It added: "Upon a deep consideration and deference to the charter and council of elders of our party, in spite of the efforts and resources invested in my campaign we took the very difficult decision to step down in the interest of my party after several consultations with my team".
This singular decision by Alhaji Hudu Yahaya is what according to our deep throat source has made him (Hudu Yahaya) become a toast of the NDC Council of elders coupled with the fact that he enjoys the founder’s support.
On the choice of flagbearer, we are reliably informed former President Rawlings, who earlier was reportedly keeping his cards close to his chest has finally laid his card on the table with his choice as Professor Kwesi Botchwey, Ghana’s longest-serving Finance Minister, a choice many party elders and cadres, according to our source, are in total support because they believe he stands a better chance than Mr. Mahama since they say there is no corruption tag on him.
Our deep throat source confirms that a prelude to the choice of , Kwesi Botchwey as the Founder’s favorite was when he shared a platform with him at the June 4th Revolutionary Lecture Series on Thursday, May 31, 2018.
Prof Kwesi Botchwey indeed recently gave a hint of his ambition when he denied reports that he had picked forms to contest the National Chairmanship position of the NDC. Whilst denying ever instructing anyone of picking a chairmanship form, Prof Botchwey gave a hint of his intention to contest a leadership position which would possibly return the NDC to power in 2020.
Analysts say having shown his disinterest in contesting the chairmanship slot, the only leadership position available that would bring the NDC back into power is the flagbeareship position.
According to our source, the NDC Council of Elders, particularly are rooting for Prof. Botchwey because they suspect that another powerful faction in the party (Ahwoi brothers) is allegedly backing former President Mahama in the contest to pave way for them to get one of their brothers, Kwesi Ahwoi, a former Agric minister and High Commissioner to South Africa, to partner him for 2020.
Political watchers say the recent appearance of the ‘Ahwoi brothers’ at the Campaign office of former President Mahama, after submitting his letter of intent to the NDC’s Head Quarters , lends credence to rumours that he indeed has their backing .
Prof. Botchwey’s campaigners within the NDC Council of elders believe that presenting Mahama again for the 2020 elections will provide a great weapon for the NPP and that all the other aspirants are connected with Mahama in one way or the other, since they were in his government.
It is also believed that the postponement of the party’s National Executive elections upon the advice of the National Council , is part of the grand scheme to advance the interest of the Party’s founder as a meeting was held on the behest of Jerry Rawlings recently where Dr. obed Yao Asamoah was made the Operations Director with Captain Kojo Tsikata(Rtd) as the Director of Finance to execute the Hudu Yahaya ,Kwesi Botchwey agenda for 2020.
The party has postponed the date of its national executive elections to November 3, 2018. The Congress which will be in held in the Greater Accra Region was originally scheduled for October 20. General Secretary of the NDC, says the decision to postpone the congress is as a result of the challenges organizers have had with their venue of interest. “The committee reported to us and we needed to take this decision in consultation with the Council of Elders. It has been accepted that the national congress be held in Accra at the International Trade Fair Centre.” .He explained at a press conference.
However, our deep throat says the reasons for the postponement is far from that as the new date was proposed by the Council of Elders to covertly steal time for the Founder’s favourite Candidates' (Hudu Yahaya and Professor Kwesi Botchwey) campaign to gather steam.
Ghana | Atinkaonline.com