NDC polls: Portuphy’s induced endorsements don’t scare me - Abodakpi

One of the four Aspirants vying for the Chair slot of the governing party, Dan Abodakpi has described a recent endorsement of the candidature of fellow contestant, Kofi Portuphy, by a group in the Northern region, as fake.

‘Friends of Kofi Portuphy’, FOKOP, endorsed the Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), after he took party in a clean-up exercise during his four-day tour of the region recently.

Portuphy received similar open endorsements during his tour of the Western, Eastern, Central, Volta and parts of the Greater Accra region.

FOKOP, recently said in a press statement issued Thursday December 11, 2014 and jointly signed by Spokesperson Abdul Malik Abdul Somed, Secretary Saddiq Abdul Hanan, as well as members Issahaku Abdul Rauf and Ibn Abass, that the NDC needs Portuphy as Chairman to retain power in 2016.

“Our reason for throwing our support “for Kofi Portuphy is simply based on an objective and empirical analysis of the strength and weakness of those aspiring for the National chairmanship portfolio, which reveals that Kofi Portuphy stands tall and for that matter the best material for the chairmanship position for the National Democratic Congress, more especially at a time the party is facing numerous challenges from both the opposition parties and floating voters as well.”

The group said: “…It is evidently clear that our friends in opposition are desperately looking for power and will employ all available tactics in order to get power come 2016.”

This among other things, FOKOP said, makes it necessary for the party to elect a “utility personality like Kofi Portuphy,” who is “politically sound, sociable, affable, tolerant, economical, and a unifier,” as Chairman at the party’s December 20 Congress in the Ashanti Region.

Apart from Abodakpi, Portuphy is in the contest with incumbent Dr Kwabena Adjei, and Vice Chairman Huudu Yahaya.

The former Minister of Trade and Industry, who said he is unperturbed by the endorsement, told starr FM’s Ibrahim Alhassan in an exclusive interview that: “These induced declarations don’t mean anything to me.”

“I’m sure you’re aware that there are very negative reactions from the Northern region as a result of what happened. I do know for a fact that some people were organised to go and induce this kind of action and for me it’s a sign of desperation,” he said.

He said Portuphy or his assigns would not need to orchestrate fake endorsements if they were confident of winning the polls.

“If you have sold your message and your principles are very clear and the strategies and tactics you are going to use to address the problems facing the delegates, you don’t have to be organising such induced declarations etc., so it doesn’t mean anything to me.”




Source: Ghana/StarrFMonline.com