Details are emerging about the report of the Professor Kwesi Botchwey Committee that investigated why the National Democratic Congress (NDC) lost the December 7, 2016 general elections, describing former President John Dramani Mahama as living the life of a movie star in the run-up to the election.
“President Mahama lives a life of a movie star,” the 65-page Executive Summary of the report, kept like a state secret, states on Page 27.
Damning Conclusions
The supposedly confidential report – a copy of which is in possession of Daily Guide – made damning conclusions on the role played by Mr. Mahama and a few of his aides in the massive electoral defeat of the NDC last year.
According to the report, President let himself down with his attitude towards the campaign, saying, “John Maham lost the elections and not the NDC.
“President Mahama ignored the Akuse strategy. It included no flamboyant campaign, no amorphous group, etc,” it said.
It also maintained that “the president’s inner circles were so intolerant that when you criticize the president, you are condemned.”
Collation Mess
The report described the NDC’s collation of the election results as ‘complete mess,’ saying, “The situation brought dysfunctionalism in the party to a head”
It said the NDC was “intolerant of the media and disrespected its own media.”
“Party spokespersons go and mess up with other stations and come to do the damage control on Radio Gold.”
According to the report, there was “disconnection between the government and party, as well as disconnection between the party and the grassroots.”
Some have said that the damning revelation is going to make it difficult for Mr. Mahama – who is lacing his boots to lead the NDC once again for the 2020 presidential election – to make a comeback, but recent events show clearly that the former president is on course to become the NDC flag bearer again.
Implementation Committee
The 13-member committee, chaired by Professor Kwesi Botchwey with influential personalities like the former speaker of parliament, Edward Doe Adjaho on board, had presented the report on Monday, June 19 and the party subsequently formed an Implementation Committee (IC), made up of respected NDC gurus like Kofi Totobi Quakyie, Nana Ato Dadzie, Kwame Peprah, among others, to work out the modalities of re-organization of the party as recommended in the report.
However, the Implementation Committee did not even know that the Functional Executive Committee (FEC) of the NDC had already set up sub-committees to commence work until recently.
Subtle Attempt
Some members are already complaining bitterly about what they claim to be a subtle attempt by the camp of former President Mahama to take control of the NDC so that his ambition to lead the NDC again will be fulfilled.
Some cynically claim that the Mahama camp is getting its people to head the various sub-committees so that the damning verdict about the former president and his inner circle in the report would be watered down.
Angry Members
The situation has got some NDC members of the grassroots – who believe the former president might not be the ideal candidate for the party for the 2020 presidential election – agitated because they are claiming that it was these same bigwigs who were indicated in the Prof Kwesi Botchwey Committee report.
“They have been able to push the former president’s trusted lieutenants to head committee positions for the reorganization exercise, even though these same groups of people were mentioned as contributing heavily to our disgraceful defeat on December 7, 2016,” an NDC source said.
Old Faces
According to him, the report had tasked the party’s leadership to assemble persons with ‘unquestionable’ backgrounds to spearhead the reorganizational process, but it is turning out that the same old faces are doing the work.
“Former President Mahama is bent on doing everything possible to ensure that he becomes the NDC 2020 flag bearer. He wants to do it without any fierce competition. As we speak, he has managed to get his loyalists like Julius Debrah, Dzifa Ativor, Prosper Bani, Nana Oye Lithur, Omane Boamah and others to take over committees formed to implement the report” the source claimed.
Implementation Sub-Committees
The sources said that the FEC had formed sub-committees such as Women’s Affairs Committee, to be headed by Dzifa Aku Attivor, former Minister of Transport, with Nana Oye Lithur, former Minister of Gender and Social Protection, in support.
There is also the sub-committee for Welfare and Fundraising to be headed by former Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah and former Interior minister Prosper K. Bani, while Fonu Kapatakpa and Abigail Elorm Mensah are said to be heading the Committee on Youth.
Abrupt Meeting
“Recently, FEC meeting ended abruptly because of disagreement over the inclusion of these people. Page 26 specifically mentioned their names as persons who contributed to our defeat. When this point was raised at the FEC meeting, it resulted in exchanges,” the source revealed.
Real Intentions
According to the source, almost all those appointed to the sub-committees are also lacing their boots to contest national positions when nominations open.
The source claimed for instance, that Julius Debrah would contest for the national chairman slot; Dzifa Ativor, national vice chairperson; Nana Oye Lithur, national women’s organizer; Prosper Bani, Volta Regional chairman; and they are said to be doing it to consolidate their hold on the party so that Mahama would have unfettered access to the flagbearership position.
Brokering Deals
According to the source, some of those appointed into the sub-committees are said to be campaigning vigorously at the FEC to get their names deleted from the Prof Botchwey report, and that delayed the release of the report to the public.
‘They want to do this to dwarf Rawlings and the Ahwois’ influence in the party, but it won’t work,” he charged.
Source: Daily Guide
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Mahama and his c.orrupt brother Ibrahim and thier cronies will never get the chance to c.reate, l00t and s.hare our money again
very daming revelations are yet to come concerning the NDC party led by incompetent Mahama. Ghanaians will really see and know how create loot and share happened under the NDC. how they used our money to cater for their friends and families whiles the real owners of the monies that is Ghanaians suffer with no jobs, and what annoys me the most is the increament of taxes under mahama's regime.you people take our hard earned monies and after you charge us and spend again..may NDC REMAIN IN OPPOSITION FOREVER AND SEE HOW POVERTY FEELS LIKE.CANT YOU PEOPLE SEE HOW GHANAIANS GOT RELIEF WHEN NPP CAME TO POWER? NO WONDER THERE IS FREE SHS ETC.
Fonu Kpatakpa?!? On a welfare committee? What did that guy do as assemblyman in Kpando during Kufuors time? He only chopped down trees in a forest reserve in Kpando, pocketed the money and absconded to Tema and held a gargantuan wedding there! He wasn't seen again in Kpando until 2014 when he decided to contest the primaries in Kpando constituency. What will such a guy do with state money? And Bani? Didn't he overspend during his time as Chief of Staff? Where did he and his brother suddenly get money from during Mahamas time to buy Heart of Lions football club? Or that mansion he built within 2 years. Meanwhile after working for the UN in South Africa he never bothered put up even a bungalow in his hometown. Luuting gang!
Collation Mess is the only fact abt what cause the NDC to loose the election, the rest of your report is nsem hunu nkoraa
Is the NDC now realising that Mahama was incompetent? Stuuuuppppid party.
eeeii so mahama has still not learnt his lesson. ok, he shd come again wai. We want to show him onaaaapo
Former President Mahama is bent on doing everything possible to ensure that he becomes the NDC 2020 flag bearer. He wants to do it without any fierce competition. As we speak, he has managed to get his loyalists like Julius Debrah, Dzifa Ativor, Prosper Bani, Nana Oye Lithur, Omane Boamah and others to take over committees formed to implement the report” the source claimed.
Npp won't mind its own business and Ghanaians sure won't mind their own business. You'll stay in opposite foreverrrrrrrrrr UNTIL NDC COMPLETELY GOES BUST!
NPP mind your business ok. Whether you like or not John Mahama will contest Nana in 2020. You will not decide who to lead the great NDC. Remember Nana Addo lost to Mahama before, we shall go for a re-match and you will see that your so called free JHS will not save you.
With the names being mentioned, I cannot help it but to comment. We need a strong opposition and a strong country with leaders of the highest integrity and honesty. NDC will be doing this honourable country a big harm and dishonour if the names being mentioned surface again in Ghanaian politics in this contemporary times. Look at the selection: John Mahama, Omane Boamah, Oye Lithur, Dzifa Ativor, Prosper Bani, Julius Debrah. Seriously speaking these guys do not have anything good for this country. They should not be allowed to even manage any corporate body or enterprise with 20 staffs. NDC, we need men of high integrity. We want better opposition with strong alternative government.