ALSO MOVING! Dr. Obed Asamoah
THE FOUNDER and leader of the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), a breakaway political party from the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Dr Yao Obed Asamoah, has stated that it was President Atta Mills who extended an olive branch to him to rejoin the ruling party.
Since Dr. Asamoah declared his intention of rejoining forces with the ruling party, many NDC faithful have descended on him, describing him as an opportunist.
It would be recalled that the former NDC chairman broke away with some aggrieved members and founded the DFP in 2005, after the party’s bloody congress held at Koforidua in the Eastern region.
Before the congress, the country’s longest serving Foreign Affairs Minister had fallen out with ex-President Jerry Rawlings over his endorsement of President Mills as the presidential candidate of the ruling party for the 2004 elections.
Dr. Asamoah did not only kick against the selection of Professor Mills as the party’s candidate but indicated that the renowned law lecturer was not endowed with the ability to lead the country and therefore called for an open contest.
In view of this, the former Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, after breaking away, threw his support behind Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flag-bearer for the 2008 elections run-off.
Gurus in the ruling party who are against the return of Dr. Asamoah to the NDC have argued that if the veteran politician had the interest of the NDC at heart, he would not have deserted the party.
Some DFP members have also kicked against the rejoining of the NDC and stated point blank that they would not be part of the move.
But speaking on Peace Fm yesterday, Dr. Asamoah clarified issues relating to his return to the NDC.
He indicated that he did not start the move to rejoin the ruling party and that it was President Atta Mills and his cronies who made the first proposal.
According to him, the Mills camp wrote a letter to him indicating the need for the two parties to settle their differences and combine their forces together for the 2012 polls.
He said it was not only the camp of President Mills who made the move towards him and that the camp of former President Rawlings also made a similar attempt.
The long time confidant of ex-President Rawlings disclosed that Kofi Adams once visited him in his house and expressed the need for the DFP to come back into the NDC fold.
After these moves from both the Mills and Rawlings camps, Dr Asamoah indicated that he gave a serious consideration to them and therefore wrote formal letters to the two camps, requesting the commencement of official talks.
Because he did not form the party alone, he noted, he conferred with his lieutenants who gave their backing and blessing to be part of the ongoing rejoining talks.
Denying the contention by some leading members of the NDC that he is an opportunist, Dr Asamoah pointed out that if indeed he was an opportunist, he would have started the moves to rejoin the NDC and not the other way round.
He emphasized that some top guns in the ruling party were entertaining fears of his decision to rejoin the party because they see him as a threat as a result of his accumulated years of political experience.
On the issue of his vile attacks on the then candidate Mills, he noted that the attacks were made with regard to issues of the day and that President Mills had proved to be a man of himself who would not kowtow to the dictates of Rawlings.
Dr. Asamoah explained that the DFP supported Nana Addo as a person during the 2008 run-off and not the NPP as a political party, therefore, the contention that he flirted with the NPP was a figment of some people’s imagination.
The former Attorney General and Minister of Justice contended that his return to the NDC would be a blessing to the party.
Dr. Asamoah was hopeful that the talks, which are being led by Bede Zideng, the DFP general secretary, would come to an end for the party to officially rejoin the NDC.
From Morgan Owusu, Kumasi
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