A former Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) Dr. Obed Asamoah, has said former President Jerry John Rawlings is not the Founder of the party.
According to him at the time of filing for the registration of the NDC, the ex-President was still in the Ghana Armed Forces and could not have represented any district as a founding father.
Dr Obed Asamoah said this during an exclusive interview with Joy News’ Emefa Apawu.
He explains that after the party was set up a clause was fixed in the Constitution of the party to recognise his contribution to the ideals upon which the party was founded.
“I dealt with the application of the NDC to the Electoral Commission for registration. The law at the time, and still the law is the same, is that you must have founders from the different districts… to sign the papers.
“I can show you the duplicate of the papers. They are here right now because I dealt with that whole process, and President Rawlings’ name is not on that list,” said the respected lawyer.
There has been a raging argument within the ranks of the NDC over Rawlings’ status as Founder following his criticism of every other President save himself and his government from 1992 to 2000.
But he has hit hardest at the two former Presidents under the NDC administration — John Mahama and John Atta Mills — and their officials as being corrupt and failing to live by the ideals of the party.
While some see this as characteristic of the former revolution leader’s love for probity and accountability, other’s see it as a deliberate effort to destroy the party he is losing his grips of influence on.
Dr Obed Asamoah also revealed he congratulated Dr Valerie Sawyer for her fiery criticism of ex-president John Rawlings.
Dr Obed Asamoah insists such criticisms are needed to build a better country.
According to him, Ghanaians should be given the opportunity to “speak their minds” on issues irrespective of who is at the centre of those issues.
He said he had, at some point, been critical of the former President and would welcome anyone who will take on leaders of the country for their misdeeds.
Watch more from the interview in the video below.
In the wake of who founder Ghana, I knew the founder of the NDC was going to come up & interestingly had Dr Obed Asamoah & some of the old guards in mind.
At the time Papa J was been described as founder and in very strong terms, I did not find it suitable. Papa J in doubt is the moving spirit behind the NDC. In fact I see Papa J as THE FOUNDER of the CPP incarnate. In effect it is the CPP which has metamorphosed into the NDC.
However, I think Dr Obed Asamoah has done posterity no good in the account he has given here.
Founder as in NDC case is equal to the moving spirit behind the NDC, and that’s all. Dr Obed Asamoah should have been honest enough to tell us @ which point the term founder gain prominence. Papa J was too much of a colossus to the old folks of the NDC & secondly how to define Papa J’s position and role in the NDC after he was out of office was too intimidating to Dr Asamoah & the old folks. So Dr Obed Asamoah lead a constitutional review process to find ways and means to tone down the influence of Papa J. So in order not to see Papa J as chairman or head of the party he Dr Obed Asamoah coined the founder’s role & propagated it nation wide in a manner to taunt Papa J @ the time but Papa J did not mind him.
IN A NUTSHELL THE TERM FOUNDER OF THE NDC WAS BESTOWED ON THE MOVING SPIRIT OF THE NDC PAPA J. So far as I am concerned however, NDC really has founders & no doubt Dr Obed Asamoah & the late Justice D. F. Annan stand are prominent. There are a whole lot of others such as Alhaji Issifu Ali, Mr Harry Sawyer, Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama, Nana Ato Dadzie, Mr Munufie, Dr Caiquo, Alhaji Hudu Yahaya, etc