<<Print>>

Dr. Ekow Spio Garbrah today appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament and denied ever calling appointees of the late President Prof. Atta Mills team �B� players in an article. The minister-designate for Trade and Industry, however called for cool heads to prevail when he appeared before the Appointments Committee of Parliament to be vetted. Considered by his own party members as the number one enemy from within, the affable and knowledgeable politician took part of time to apologize to all government functionaries who felt hurt by the content of his published piece. FLASHBACK...Pissing In It was a season for political fire-power, as Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah returned the salvos shot at him by a National Democratic Congress (NDC) stalwart, Ato Ahwoi, signaling what was set to be an abrasive give-and-take affair. With the battle lines drawn, the communications expert and NDC Vice Chairman-aspirant fired back, virtually saying that he was ready to piss on the government as suggested by Ato Ahwoi. �My NDC brother, if President Mills does not appoint you as a minister, please continue to piss in as many times as you want!� Mr Ahwoi reportedly said. The frosty relationship between the NDC and Spio-Garbrah then took a further dip, after he was summoned by the party�s leadership to face a disciplinary committee. The twist widened the schism between the then pro-Rawlings camp to which Spio belonged, and the pro-Mills camp- a degeneration which was evidenced by the vitriolic exchanges. The summons was contained in a formal letter signed by party General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah headlined, �Breach Of Party Code Of Conduct And Disciplinary Code�. The letter asked that Spio holds himself in readiness for an invitation by the National Disciplinary Committee of the party to assist in investigations into the breach. Dated 29/10/09, the letter was addressed to Dr. Spio-Garbrah at an Asylum Down address referenced NDC/HQ/14/01/373. According to the letter, Spio�s article in the Daily Graphic titled, �Honouring Nkrumah�s Legacy: A Challenge�, was a breach of the party�s code of conduct and disciplinary code. �The purpose of this letter is to inform you to hold yourself in readiness for any invitation the Committee may decide to extend to you to assist in their investigations,� the letter stated. But when it became apparent that there was not going to be any meeting between him and the party leadership towards resolving the feud, Spio organized a press conference and stated that he would not allow himself to be driven away by a group of persons in the party. He saw the unfolding developments as part of a grand design to, as it were, frustrate him out of the party. In the said Spio-authored article in the Graphic, the subject of the aggravated division, the failed NDC flagbearer aspirant in the 2008 polls pointed at a number of anomalies in the Mills� government. Although the article was in commemoration of the centenary of the first President, the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the bite concerned what, for him, were avoidable blunders in the ruling NDC. He for instance frowned at the choice of appointees from a Team �B� when Team �A� materials were sitting on the bench.