I’ll not leave NDC — Duffuor

A former Minister of Finance, Dr Kwabena Duffuor,  who withdrew from the just-ended flagbearship of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has debunked claims that he plans to resign from the NDC and form another party.

“I have become aware of some concerns from the rank and file of the NDC that I intend to leave the NDC to form another party.

I wish to state that I have no such intentions and remain committed to the NDC as I have always been,’ Dr Duffuor said in a statement yesterday.

According to him, he was committed and loyal to the NDC and would support the party in its quest to win the 2024 elections.

He, therefore, called on the rank and file of the party to come together and work hard to help the party to succeed.

“The NDC is my home as it is for us all and I will always remain loyal to our party.

Let us come together towards the cause of victory for our party and progress for our nation.

The NDC belongs to us and we have a charge to keep its flame burning.

So let us get to work,” the statement said.

Pull out

On the eve of the NDC elections to elect their presidential and parliamentary candidates of the party, Dr Duffuor, who was one of the three candidates for the flagbearer position, withdrew from the polls citing irregularities and lack of transparency, especially with regard to the voters’ register.

“As at this time, the party has begun distributing the ballot papers to the various regions and constituencies without our involvement.

"I wish to reiterate my commitment to the party and grassroots, however my concerns that the party is not ready to conduct free and fair elections is evident for all of us to see.

“Taking part in such an event will be akin to knowingly drinking from a poisoned calabash,” he said.

The elections, which took place last Saturday, saw former President John Dramani Mahama clinch the flagbearership with a landslide victory of 297,603 votes, representing 98.9 per cent of the total valid votes cast, with his contender, Kojo Bonsu, garnering 3,181 votes, representing 1.1 per cent. 

Commitment

After his withdrawal, there was widespread speculation that Dr Duffuor would soon resign from the NDC and form a new party.

But in his statement, Dr Duffuor said he joined the race to further build the NDC as a political party of choice for most Ghanaians.

“Today, that motivation remains unchanged.

Like many before me, I understand that the collective good of our party overrides our personal goals and desires”.

According to him, his experience during the flag bearer race helped him to build affinity with the grassroots of the NDC, listen to their stories and understand the concerns of the people.

In view of that, he said he was fully committed to the NDC “for as long as our quest for a better Ghana endures”.

He, therefore, called on the NDC not to renege on his ideals of probity and accountability in its quest for political power.

“If we are to succeed as a party in reaching our political goals, we cannot afford to compromise on our founding ideals of probity and accountability.

Those virtues are the torch that guide our party and give purpose to all we do.

Without them, we will lose our identity and our ability to hold others accountable in similar circumstances,’ he said.