It is sealed and official.The Obed Asamoah led-Democratic Freedom Party(DFP) which was formed out of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) about five years ago has gone back to its roots, the NDC.
The merger was as a result of unity talks initiated by President JEA Mills with Dr Obed Asamoah, which was concluded with an elaborate extra ordinary and expanded national executive committee (NEC) meeting at the Art Centre in Accra on Saturday, the very venue which was used to officially outdoor the DFP in October 28, 2006. The talks was mediated by Rev Dan Markin, an Advisor to President Mills, who was also around to put the final nail to the coffin that was used to bury the DFP.
It all started with an invitation to lunch extended by President Mills to Dr Asamoah during the final funeral rites of the late Northern Regional Chairman of the NDC. This was followed up with a meeting at the Castle, Osu between the President and Dr Asamoah.
After evoking the party’s Article 49 which mandated the NEC to undertake activities including merging with other political parties, the General Secretary of the DFP, lowered the DFP flag to symbolise its demise, while his NDC counterpart, Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketia, hoisted the NDC flag.
Just after these symbolic gestures, all the DFP party members, especially the leading members who were wearing DFP T-shirts and other paraphernalia changed into NDC T-shirts and paraphernalia.
Ealier, the Brong Ahafo Regional Chairman of the DFP, Barimah Yaw Osafo Kantanka had moved the motion for the adoption of the President Mills as the candidate for the 2012 elections. Another leading member of the party also moved the motion for the adoption for the merger of the DFP with the NDC which was seconded and supported by the entire NEC of the DFP.
Addresing the NEC, Dr Asamoah said those who question "our right to initiate a merger of the DFP with the NDC, I will like to remind them that the formation of the DFP was done in the first place by few promoters. If they trusted our wisdom then they can trust our decision now".
He reminded other members who wanted to remain with the decision to support the 2008 NPP presidential candidate that the decision was taken under the same constitutional arrangement, Article 49 of the DFP constituton but added that it was only to support the NPP in 2008 and did not imply a marriage.
"It is true that the presidential candidate of the NPP for 2012 elections is the same person now as in 2008, but significantly, however, the raison d'etre of our departure [violence] from the NDC has evaporated. While it is evident that the NDC is still undergoing growing pains of the democratization process we must conceded that considerable progress has been made as to justify a change of attitude," he said.
According to Dr Asamoah, their departure from the NDC was more because of brutilisation some of them suffered at the NDC Congress at Koforidua than anything else, "In fact the congress had nothing to do with the election of a presidential candidate at all".
In an emotional charged acceptance speech, Mr Aseidu Nketia recounted how the NDC had suffered, particularly by losing very hardworking founding members due to lack of internal democracy but thanked God that through very painful process the party had become internally democratic which was attracting all those who departed.
"I am filled with emotions, I have always believed that change is a must", he said and added that it was not the most intelligent or the strongest animal that survived but those that were able to adopt to changes, in reference to the fact that the NDC had become stronger and resisted all the turbulent times because it was able to adopt to changes.
Mr Aseidu Nketia who confirmed that he was the one who masterminded the "smuggling" of Dr Asamoah from the infamous Koforidua congress whose aftermath brought about the formation of the DFP explained that stated that the NDC was formed with "heavy input from Dr Asamoah".
"I was behind Obed's evacuation to safety at the Koforidua congress because of my abhorrence to violence. I have no apologies for moving him to safety.", he added.
He called Dr Asamoah and his followers as principled people, who left the NDC because of their hatred for violence and said they were the best judges, because they had come back to the NDC because the reasons they left no longer exited in the party.
He narrated how the NDC leadership used to hand picked parliamentary candidates who were endorsed at congresses and even when the people were demanding internal countability and democracy the party leadership failed to realise the need for these democratic ingredients which culminated in the party losing the 2000 general elections.
He said it was unfortunate that those who at any point in time of the party's history called for internal democracy in the NDC never had the opportunity to implement them but rather "suffer martyrdom".
Mr Aseidu Nketia also paid glowing tribute to Dr Obed Asamoah, who challenged the status quo by contesting for the NDC flag bearer position adding that "the NDC cannot go back to the days when its leadership was not elected. The Internal Democracy of the NDC has come to stay".
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