According to the Duffuor’s camp, the suit was abandoned following assurances from the NDC’s Council of Elders and different stakeholders promising to address earlier concerns raised.

The team says Dr Duffuor is, however, still committed to making sure the NDC goes into the primaries with a credible voter register.

Spokesperson for Dr Duffuor, Antonio Edem Asinyo, in an interview with Citi News said: “As you are aware, since the suit was filed, several stakeholders engaged Dr. Duffuor and an assurance was given that some Council of Elders will engage him to be able to resolve the issues of concerns about the photo album. So amicably, based on that, Dr. Duffuor decided to withdraw the case so that we can resolve the issue in-house. But he’s committed to ensuring that the NDC goes into the election with a credible album. We hope and pray issues raised will be resolved.”

He further explained that they went to court because “Several letters written to the party to address our concerns were ignored. He exhausted all internal structures, which means somebody slept on his/her job. Dr. Duffuor is not mean a person, he’s an accomplished person who cannot be overlooked.”

The NDC’s May 13 primaries were in limbo as the Electoral Commission on Wednesday suspended its supervision of the election due to the injunction application by Dr. Duffour’s team which was initially scheduled to be heard on Monday, May 15.

Dr. Duffuor, in his writ, raised concerns about supposed discrepancies in the party’s electoral roll among others thus warranting his action.

But on Friday, the former Finance Minister withdrew his suit to resolve the issues internally. The court subsequently struck out the case.

ALSO READ:

• Yaw Dabo becomes a hot cake as Real Madrid fans flock to take photos with him

• Adwoa Safo makes bold statement after sharing picture with Chief of Staff

According to court documents dated May 9, 2023, five respondents have been named in the suit as follows: the General Secretary of the NDC, the Director of the Elections Directorate, fellow flagbearer hopefuls John Mahama and Kojo Bonsu and the Electoral Commission of Ghana.

The defendants, according to the writ, have been ordered to enter their appearance within eight days of being served with the legal documents.

The writ added that failure to comply with the order may result in a judgment being passed in their absence without further notice.

A number of exhibits have also been filed aside from the motion on notice and the statement of claim, one of them being a WhatsApp communication with NDC General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey.

The interaction is with respect to the failure of the Election Committee of the party to deliver on its timeline to make the mandated voter list and photo album to be used for voting available.

READ ALSO:

• Thousands grace 2023 Atopa festival [Photos]

• Spio-Garbrah’s son joins NDC parliamentary race

• Meet the popular journalist who started secondary school at age 9

Party elders, the rank and file of the NDC including constituency and branch executives and supporters attended the launch of the project.

The crowd flooded the streets of Ashaiman to showcase their love for the former Governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), thereby, causing massive vehicular traffic for their party leader to easily travel through the municipality to the venue.

Members of the NDC at Ashaiman proved that, indeed, the party loves the former Finance Minister who is hoping to lead the party.

Elated-looking people from all corners of the constituency were seen singing songs and dancing to the party’s song to welcome Dr Duffuor.

Speaking at the launch to formally begin the implementation of the project, the former Finance Minister told the party supporters that the project is an outcome of his stakeholder engagements with the rank and file of the NDC and his quest to bring a new approach to politics.

He said “The Ahotɔ project launched today is a testament to the power of stakeholder engagement, and its credit rests on the rank and file of the party. All these years, you have held the fort for the party and borne the responsibility of catering for the needs of your many constituents.

“Late-night calls about a member rushed to the hospital, days when you struggle to pool funds for party mobilization and the numerous financial burdens which come with your leadership as constituency executives.”

He continued by paying tribute to the grassroots leadership of the NDC for their sacrifices to the party.

“Throughout these challenging times, you have risen to the occasion and sacrificed your own resources to support the welfare of members and activities of the party. Today, we celebrate you for these efforts and dedicate this project to you all for your diligence and commitment.”

Touching on the implementation plan at the launch of the Ahotɔ Project, Dr Duffuor explained that the main aim of this flagship grassroots party support project is geared towards setting up all the 275 constituencies with micro-businesses in order to create the much needed but currently unavailable local cash flow for the day-to-day running of the NDC at the grassroots level.

He asked the grassroots leaders for the need to manage the project in line with the NDC’s basic principles.

“We are launching this initiative here in the Ashaiman constituency – one of the strongholds of our party in the Greater Accra Region. In the next few weeks and months, we will extend this initiative to all 275 constituencies for everyone in our party to benefit from it.

‘’As I have already pointed out, a resourced party is a strong party. Revenue belongs at our grassroots, not the top, and we must build this party from the ground, upwards. This initiative is also a test of our highest ideals as a party – probity, and accountability,” Dr. Duffuor said.

He pointed out that the Ahotɔ Project is under the management of constituency leadership, who will be accountable to their constituents for the proceeds of these businesses.

The constituency business support project, according to Dr Duffuor, will put a reliable support system in place to generate income for the smooth running of the party at the local level.

He advised party members to engage in the new politics of ideas and reminded party members that it is important to think of creative ways to generate money for the NDC because, without money, it is not easy to run a political party or its campaigns to win elections.

“The truth is, politics is an expensive undertaking. No political party can remain competitive and relevant without being well resourced at all times. Another truth is that the core of our politics is our grassroots base. It is why matters of welfare, mobilization, and outreach must always be at the heart of our efforts in party management.”

He called the Ahotɔ Project the “new approach” to politics, adding that “This seed is being sown in the life of our party. It is a response to a call for aid in the spirit of building the NDC. May this represent our new approach to politics henceforth. In the face of challenges, let us engage to find solutions. At all times, may we be guided by the value of collaboration and its power to generate relevant solutions? That is what the Ahotɔ Project represents and that is how we will rebuild our party – together’’.

The idea of Ahotɔ which means ‘’relief’’ in the Akan language, according to the Project Manager, Abass Osabutey, is the outcome of a business feasibility study commissioned by Dr. Duffuor and carried out by a technical team throughout the 275 constituencies in the country to identify the most feasible and sustainable business idea capable of financing NDC activities at the local level.

He explained that each constituency shall receive accessories, logistics, and equipment worth 30,000 Ghana cedis to enable the smooth implementation of the business project. This brings the total investment to 8,250,000 Ghana cedis.

Abass Osabutey said“For example, in our local settings, social events such as funerals, naming ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, durbars, political campaigns, and rallies are mostly outdoor activities. This places a high demand on plastic chairs, canopies, public address systems, power generators, podiums, mobile toilets, etc. Phase One of the project which starts from the Ashaiman constituency will cover 48 constituencies selected, based on constituencies with the highest voter population and those that are orphan constituencies.”

Abass Osabutey also said the project brings relief to overburdened party MPs and local executives who have supported local party activities for years at their personal expense.

High profile members of the NDC including Ekwow Spio-Gabrah, former Education Minister, Fritz Baffour, former Information Minister, Horace Nii Ayi Ankrah, former Deputy Ambassador to China, Antwi Boasiako Sekyere, former Eastern Regional Minister and coordinator of Duffuor campaign among others were in attendance.

According to him, Dr Duffuor’s Ahot) project tailored to establish 275 startups for the benefit of the grassroots in the largest opposition party fits into the objective of the Business Development Committee of the NDC.

“As the chairman of the NDC Business Development Committee, which I encouraged the past chairman, Mr Portuphy to create in 2016; Business Development Committee of NDC, many of you may not know about it, we’ve not gone around as much as we should. We’ve been to some constituencies – We’ve been to Volta region, Ashanti region, Western region, but maybe you are not hearing of that committee here.”

“The committee’s objective is very similar to what Dr Duffuor is doing, which is what can we do in NDC to change the image of NDC from what some people think is not a business-friendly party to one that is more business-friendly. I don’t know whether you’re aware that is one of the biggest problems we’re facing as a party. People think we are anti-business because, during the PNDC time, certain things happened to some business people. So it’s still prevailing till today,” Spio-Garbrah told party supporters at Ashaiman during the launch of Dr. Kwabena Duffuor’s Ahot) project for NDC grassroots.

The former Minister of Education, as well as Trade and Industry Minister in the erstwhile Mahama administration, said the age-long perception about the NDC has dealt a big blow to the party as the NDC is losing numbers at the Universities, with a fall-off of membership of the Tertiary Educational Institutions Network (TEIN) who are rather joining TESCON.

“So if you ask our young people, they go to the University as NDC supporters, belonging to TEIN, but before they graduate, they’re TESCON members. Why because they’ve been made to believe that as for NDC, there may not be enough opportunities for you. We don’t create businesses, we don’t support business people, and we’re not entrepreneurs. So the people who do the business, they’re all NPP, NPP, NPP. You go to NPP, that is where the money is, you get some money, but if you stay in NDC, ahh well you’re on your own!”

Dr Spio-Garbrah underscored the need for the massive support of the NDC Ahot) project to empower the people and make the grassroots resourceful in their respective jurisdiction.

“So if somebody rises in NDC such as Dr. Duffuor who says look I’ve got a good and brilliant idea, why don’t I make some of my resources available to the party, to footsoldiers, to Mmobrowa, even at a time of difficulty in the Ghanaian economy when the government of the day doesn’t know what to do and all they’re doing is E-levy, E-levy, then you have to support the person because he’s doing the right thing.”

Dr Duffuor on Thursday launched Phase One of a grassroots party empowerment and a self-financing project dubbed the “Ahot)” Project for the opposition NDC at the Ashaiman constituency in the Greater Accra Region.

The party elders as well as the rank and file of the NDC including constituency and branch executives attended the launch of the project.

Speaking at the launch to formally begin the implementation of the project, the former Finance Minister and Bank of Ghana Governor told party supporters the project is an outcome of his stakeholder engagements with the rank and file of the NDC and his quest to bring a new approach to politics.

“The Ahot) project launched today is a testament of the power of stakeholder engagement and its credit rests on the rank and file of the party. All these years, you have held the fort for the party and borne the responsibility of catering for the needs of your many constituents. Late-night calls about a member rushed to the hospital, days when you struggle to pool funds for party mobilization and the numerous financial burdens which come with your leadership as constituency executives”.

The idea of Ahot) which means ‘’relief’’ in the Akan language according to the project manager Abass Osabutey, is the outcome of a business feasibility study commissioned by Dr. Duffuor and carried out by a technical team throughout the 275 constituencies in the country to identify the most feasible and sustainable business idea capable of financing NDC party activities at the local level.

He explained that each constituency shall receive accessories, logistics and equipment worth 30,000 Ghana cedis to enable the smooth implementation of the business project. This brings the total investment to 8,250,000 Ghana cedis.

“For example, in our local settings, social events such as funerals, naming ceremonies, marriage ceremonies, durbars, political campaigns and rallies are mostly outdoor activities. This places high demand on plastic chairs, canopies, public address systems, power generators, podiums, mobile toilets etc.

“Phase One of the project which starts from the Ashaiman constituency will cover forty-eight (48) constituencies selected, based on constituencies with the highest voter population and those that are orphan constituencies.’’