The newest group to have erupted from the ruling National Democratic Congress, Get Atta Mills Elected (GAME 2012) has rejected suggestions that their call on supporters of the party to re-elect President Mills as flagbearer for the party ahead of the party’s primary is an infringement on the rules binding the NDC.
The National Democratic Congress [NDC] sometime last year banned all unrecognized groupings such as footsoldiers in the party that are not recognized by the party’s constitution.
The ban, said to have been imposed since 2002, was renewed following splinter forces emerging to support individuals as candidates for Election 2012; key among them is Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR), who were calling on the Former First Lady to take up the presidency in 2012. The proposal elicited reactions, with other groups of footsoldiers declaring support for President Mills as their choice for Election 2012.
But after a marathon meeting by all ten regional chairmen of the party held in Accra, they resolved, as custodians of the party in the various regions, to caution members and activists to respect the structures of the NDC and adhere to laid down procedures.
The regional chairmen also resolved that all other groups apart from the Women and Youth groups as the only recognized groups by the party and that any other group is disbanded.
The newest group, GAME 2012, a group of NDC supporters in the Ashanti Region has warned that apart from President John Mills, no other person in the party could lead the NDC to victory in the 2012 general election. They are therefore calling on party members to boldly declare their support, and also rally behind the President to get him re-elected as leader and flagbearer of the NDC, towards the 2012 elections.
When impressed upon that their call might be illegal following the ban on all splinter groups within the party, the groups Communication Director strongly disagreed.
Speaking on Xfm 95.1, a privately owned commercial radio station in Accra, Clement Kegeri said as long as the group operates within the confines of the party’s constitution, they have breached no law. He said, “as far as we are concerned, we operate bearing in mind the constitution that regulates the activities of the party. We are more than convinced that our activities do not breach any part of the constitution of the party and because of that, we are at liberty to operate provided we act within the confines of the constitution; and that is precisely what we are doing”.
He also said their call is not to say that nobody should contest the reigning president “but that the party is fortunate to have the right man who has been able to lead us very successfully… We think that he is more than qualified to lead the party and we are of the fullest conviction that under the leadership of Prof Mills, victory would be ours in 2012”.