Ace journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has disclosed that former President John Dramani Mahama, though was consulted in the latest reshuffle of the Minority leadership in parliament, was not in support of the changes.
“The former president did not endorse this,” he revealed based on his impression from conversations he had with top echelon of the party.
“I have spoken to many people, and from what I’m told, unless those who spoke to me are a bunch of bloody liars and so on, the former president did not appear to be very happy about this arrangement,” Mr. Pratt said on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana on Wednesday.
The National Democratic Congress has written to the Speaker of Parliament informing him of changes to the leadership of the minority in the legislature.
The party replaced Haruna Iddrisu as the minority leader with Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson. It also named Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah and Kwame Agbodza as the new deputy minority leader and chief whip, respectively.
“I am told that he actually advised against it…from what I am hearing, he cautioned against this move,” the managing editor of the Insight newspaper stressed.
His revelation sought to expose the assertion by the NDC General Secretary, Fifi Kwetey, that former President Mahama’s views reflected in the decision.
Fifi Kwetey told Citi FM that a wide consultation was done with those that mattered with regard to the changes.
“What needed to be done about this reshuffling was done and the people duly consulted. All the key leaders have been consulted. The former President, Mahama was consulted, and his views duly reflected. The new and old leaders were informed and consulted,” he claimed.
But Mr. Kwesi Pratt, who joins a number of people criticizing the reshuffle, said even those consulted, including former President Mahama, were opposed to the shake-up in its current form.
“And if he [Mahama] cautioned against this move, I think it is most unfair to state publicly that he was involved in arriving at this decision. You understand, because you put him in a tight corner, that he cannot come out and say, I disagree with the national executives. It is most unfair, most, most unfair to treat the former president this way.
“I spoke to many friends, and the impression I got was that the former president did not endorse this.”
The party leadership said it took into consideration regional balance and economic issues ahead of the 2024 general elections in arriving at that decision.
But Mr. Pratt calls the changes and reasons assigned by the leadership a “joke,” noting that he is “very disappointed” in the decision and impressed on the party to reverse it because its ramifications for the party would be dire.
According to the seasoned journalist who has been vocal in expressing his opinion on national issues, he spoke to at least 10 members of parliament from the NDC side who expressed surprise about the shake-up and complained of not being consulted.
“You are appointing leaders for people; you are not appointing shepherds for sheep…where you don’t need to consult the sheep before appointing the shepherd,” he analysed.
