Asawase NDC tension escalates

The tension in the camp of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Asawase Constituency in Kumasi is escalating.

The issue reached a boiling point yesterday when the NDC regional executives refused to collect the nomination forms of Masawudu Mubarick.

Mubarick, a staunch NDC member, has made his intentions to contest the Asawase NDC parliamentary primaries known but the executives allegedly want to make incumbent Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka go unopposed.

Mubarick and his supporters were left disappointed after they met a virtually empty office at the NDC Ashanti regional office at Amakom yesterday.

The deadline for the submission of forms is today (Friday); therefore, pressure is mounting on Mubarick and his teeming supporters to officially file for the contest.

Some of his supporters openly threatened to cause mayhem if the party’s leadership both in Accra and in Kumasi denied Mabarick his right to contest.

Mubarick’s Frustrations

It would be recalled that Mubarick had endured torrid time at the hands of the NDC executives ever since he decided to contest the Asawase seat on the ticket of the party.

For instance, he was surprisingly denied a parliamentary nomination form by the Asawase NDC executives last week.

When he decided to switch to go to the NDC regional executives to pick a party form, he was also frustrated. However, a party administrator, who decided to give him a nomination form after making payment, was nearly sacked.

 

Yesterday’s Tension

Mubarick, who was followed by scores of NDC members, including party delegates at Asawase, then decided to present the completed forms to the NDC office at Amakom but there was no party executive to receive it.

To their dismay, the NDC office was closed around 10am and so they waited for hours but no executive turned up to receive the forms.

Mubarick, who was present, was intermittently seen venting his frustration to some party gurus on phone. His supporters then threatened to cause trouble but the presence of heavily armed policemen prevented them from doing so.

Breaking Silence

Mubarick, who has remained silent all this while despite continuous ‘provocative acts’, finally broke his silence yesterday.

In a chat with DAILY GUIDE, he said he would not discard his ambition to lead the NDC as MP to retain the Asawase seat in 2020, saying “I shall follow the party’s structures to the latter in order to contest in the elections.”

According to him, he is the surest bet for the NDC to retain the Asawase seat next year and nothing would make him quit. “I am confident my forms would be taken before the deadline on Friday,” he added.

Petitioning Founder 

Meanwhile, the paper gathered that Mubarick’s team members were planning to petition some NDC gurus over the harsh treatment.

It was gathered that Jerry John Rawlings, the NDC founder, would be among the key party people that they would petition.