National Democratic Congress (NDC) Chairman for DC Primary “B” in Amenfi West Constituency, Mr Albert Maladan, has said that the party’s Founder, Former President Jerry John Rawlings, is not bitter with everyone in the party.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra, Mr Maladan said the former President was a bosom friend of Mr Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, the Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament, a situation that could leverage his quest to lead the Party in 2020.
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“The Founder and Mr Bagbin are inseparable friends and mutual confidants in each other,” Mr. Maladan said.
According to him, Mr Bagbin was one of few people the party Founder trusted placing him at an advantageous position.
Even though he did not specifically state it, Albert Maladan’s revelation fell in line with recent revelations that the NDC Founder would campaign for the NDC in 2020 if Mr Bagbin was voted flagbearer of the party.
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Mr Rawlings, during this year’s commemoration of the June 4th Revolution embarrassed the party’s first national Vice Chairperson, Anita Desoso, after Ms Desooo knelt down before him to publicly apologise on behalf of the party, by advising her to stop bleaching her body.
Later, the party Founder said Anita’s Desoso’s public apology was fake.
Albert Maladan supported the Founder’s actions, agreeing with Mr Rawlings that Anita Desoso’s apology was fun-fool respect.
The Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament is one of five people who had made known their intentions to contest former President John Mahama, who led the NDC in 2016, for the 2020 presidential ticket.
But while Prof. Joshua Alabi, former Rector of GIMPA, Sylvester Mensah, former Chief Executive of the NHIA, and Kweku Rickets Hagan, former Central regional Minister, are all known flagbearer hopefuls, Mr Alban Bagbin sits as the leading contender against Mr. Mahama.
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Between Mr Bagbin, who is the sitting MP for Nadowli Kaleo and former President Mahama, support from the party’s elders and the Founder was strong for Mr Bagbin while President Mahama has strong support among his former appointees.
Although former President Jerry John Rawlings has on several occasions expressed his dislike for certain happenings in the NDC, he is said to be in very good relations with Mr Bagbin.
“It is easy to see that the reason for the Founder’s love and respect for Mr Bagbin was because the two of them shared the same principles of probity, accountability and incorruptibility,” Mr. Albert Maladan said.
He said Hon. Bagbin’s strong reputation as an incorruptible Parliamentarian was what had really endeared him to ex-President Rawlings.