Ebo Quansah Reporting
The propaganda machinery of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is being re-tuned, following the disastrous effect of defending Alfred Agbesi Woyome in the scandalous GH¢51 million dole-out to the disgraced businessman, who is officially touted as one of the major bankrollers of the party in government.
The official line in the party and government is that Woyome could be served to the wolves, after nearly three months of defending him, in the course of which the fortunes of the party and government has sunk in the estimation of right thinking Ghanaians.
At dawn on Thursday, February 23, a new directive from the NDC propaganda secretariat alerted all spokespersons and members of both the Government Communication Team and agents speaking on behalf of the party to jettison Woyome, who “was not in the trenches with us.”
A text message from the leader of the propaganda outfit insinuated that defending Woyome was no more a viable option. “See what a character like Woyome, who was not in the trenches with us, has brought us,” says the text message from the person, who signed as Richard, from a Tigo number, in the possession of The Chronicle.
Political analysts believe the text message could tell a lot about the re-thinking going on in the party and government, about the man who was once a darling of both party and government, following Woyome’s philanthropic gesture towards the NDC and officials of this administration.
The message reminded all party faithful, particularly, members of the communications team, to reflect on the disaster, “a character like Woyome, who was not in the trenches with us,” has visited on the party and government.
When the story of Woyome’s ‘fraudulent” GH¢51 million payment broke out, members of the NDC communication team went on the offensive, going out of their way to defend one of their own.
It looks like the party in government is beginning to realise that the continued defence of the indefensible is bringing more harm to the party and the wobbling administration of President John Evans Atta Mills.
Woyome was reported to have spent a considerable amount of the ill-gotten fortune to send footsoldiers of the NDC to South Africa during the 2010 World Cup. He is also said to have footed most of the bills in connection with President Mills’ campaign to get the endorsement of the NDC, to contest the 2012 presidential election.
The text message descended heavily on maverick politician Kofi Wayo, leader of the United Renaissance Party, who now speaks more for the NDC than the political edifice he has built.
The text message revealed that no one in the NDC trusts Kofi Wayo, though he has been trying hard to speak for the party and government.
“Another liability is Kofi Wayo, whom we all know, has a questionable record in and out of the country, and is also not trusted by most of us in the NDC, and yet, continues to speak authoritatively on matters concerning the President on the air,” said the text message.
Indications are that Kofi Wayo might not enjoy the patronage of the NDC as the nation prepares to go to the polls on December 7, this year.
