The National Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has emphasised that government appointees who wish to contest for party positions must first resign from their roles.
Speaking during an interview on Lambussie FM during his Thank You Tour of the Upper West Region, Mr Asiedu Nketia explained that the decision follows internal deliberations aimed at ensuring fairness and efficiency within the party’s structure.
He noted that President John Dramani Mahama has been “magnanimous” in appointing many individuals from the party into government positions, a situation that has created challenges in balancing responsibilities.
According to him, allowing individuals to hold both government and party roles places a heavy workload on them and makes it difficult to achieve quorum during party meetings.
“To address this, we set up a committee to look into the matter, and it became clear that government appointees must step aside if they want to contest for party positions,” he said.
Mr Asiedu Nketia questioned the fairness of one individual occupying multiple roles while other qualified party members remain without opportunities.
“Will it be fair that one person is occupying both party and government positions while there are other competent people who haven’t had any appointments?” he asked.
He added that the directive aligns with the NDC’s social democratic principles, which emphasise inclusivity and equitable distribution of opportunities.
“As a social democratic party that believes in distributive justice, if someone is occupying one position, another person should be given the opportunity to serve in another role,” he stated.
The NDC Chairman also pointed out that the party now has a broad pool of capable and qualified individuals who can contribute effectively if given the chance.
He said the new directive is expected to strengthen internal democracy and improve the efficiency of both party and government operations.
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