Nationwide rejection of MMDCEs -?NDC Guru Warns Prez Mahama
-?Be wary of self-seekers or you the pay political price?
By Iddrissu A. Jara
A former Brong Ahafo Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress, Alhaji Abdallah Ahmed-Abdallah also known as Alhaji PMC is cautioning President Mahama to be careful of the conducts of people surrounding him or risk paying the political price in the 2016 elections.
According to the NDC kingpin, certain individuals surrounding the President and playing key roles in the government, though at face value are showing signs of commitment to the President and have expressed their willingness to do his dictates, but in real sense, they are only seeking their personal interest.
The conduct of such persons, Alhaji PMC cautioned must be watched closely by President Mahama in order to avert any negative effect it might have on his possible second term bid in the next general elections.
Speaking to The Al-Hajj in an interview on the nationwide rejection of President John Mahama?s nominees for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, Alhaji PMC explained, the whole fuss about MMDCEs which he said is gradually courting a bad name for the President and government could be attributed to the behaviors of some party gurus he described as ?fishes with chameleon heads?.
Whiles accusing some members of the teams constituted by the President to screen prospective MMDCEs as self-seekers, the former Regional Chairman admits the President could not be immune from the disquiets among the rank and file of the NDC stating that, individuals of impeccable records and of high moral standing should have been considered.
Highly worried about what has plagued the Mahama administration, Alhaji PMC quizzed ?If you constitute a committee made of people who personally have a vested interest in who becomes a DCE for a particular District because they will demand booty from them when they are nominated and approved, do you think such a committee will do diligent work??
He stated that in the run-up to the 2012 campaign, persons who put neck collars around their necks claiming they were sick and could not campaign for the party ?are now those claiming they love the President and the party and are insisting they have worked tirelessly to ensure the party won the last election?this are the people surrounding the President and are using their privileged positions to champion their own agenda rather than helping the President to deliver on his campaign messages?
?People who were nowhere to be found during the 2012 elections are now the people who have surrounded the President and creating problems for him…they are the cause of all this problems about the disquiets in the rank and file of the party over the President?s nominees for MMDCEs, and if the President does not put his feet down and deal with some of the issues, it will affect his bid in 2016,? Alhaji PMC advised
He said some of the NDC big shots ?are building empires in the party and are employing some tactics to stampede the President in nominating their preferred candidates rather than the preferred choice of the masses.?
Some of President John Dramani Mahama?s nominees for MMDCEs have been rejected by their assemblies across the country. In some instances, news about the MMDCEs nominations was greeted with violent protests by the youth.
In order for some of the nominees to secure the mandatory two-third majority of votes to seal their nominations, the Local Government Ministry had to revoke the appointments of some government appointees to some of the Assemblies and hurriedly appoint new once.
Though the presidency through the Local Government Ministry have offered explanation to how the nominees are nominated by the President, who per the laws of the country has the sole prerogative in nominating MMDCEs, the nationwide rejection amidst stiff demonstrations have not seized.
According to the Ministry, as per the practice, the President has constituted a team headed by former Council of State member, Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu to screen potential candidates whose names are submitted to the President for nomination.
But Alhaji PMC stated that, rather than a single committee to oversee the screening of potential MMDCEs, the President ought to have formed a ten member committee made up of persons who are self-made in all the regions to oversee the selection before the names are forwarded to the main national committee for scrutiny.
This he said would have saved the President the embarrassment suffered as a result of the violent protests and rejections of some of his nominees across the country.
Alhaji PMC added that, the incumbent MMDCES whose nominations was greeted with protests and subsequently rejected by members of their assemblies was as a result of them placing the need to satisfy their godfathers ahead of addressing the problems that impacted the lives of the masses
?Look, most of these DCEs don?t respect their people, they don?t care about their welfare, and they only do the bidding of their god fathers who lobby to have them nominated as DCEs. Go out there and ask those agitating about the nomination of a particularly DCE? Some of the ordinary folks only demand respect from their DCEs when they are in office but they don?t get it,? he stated.
Whiles? vehemently postulating that the success of any government vastly depends on the performance of MMDCES, Alhaji PMC advised that, if the President does not handle the nominations of MMDCEs with utmost care, the party risk losing the 2016 elections.
?If those who voted for you are saying they don?t want the people you are nominating as MMDCEs and you use your power to force your nominees on them, they will not say anything now, but I can bet you that they will speak in the next election?, they will use their thumps to kick you out of office,? the former NDC regional Chairman cautioned.
Source:?Alhaji & Alhaji
