National Democratic Congress (NDC) communicators on Monday met flagbearer hopeful Alban Bagbin and questioned why they should support his candidature when he finally files his nomination.
They indicated that they had toiled in the recent past to get former President Mahama into office, but when he became president, they were abandoned.
The communicators pointed out that they were jobless and impoverished from neglect from their own party for eight years and questioned why they should be committed to support any other flagbearer hopeful for the party.
An elated crowd of party communicators who had been momentarily jolted out of their despondency broke into songs of praise for Mr Bagbin with lyrics of the song portraying him as the only one who could build Ghana with integrity and also reward the sacrifices of deserving Ghanaians.
Responding to concerns raised, Mr Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has described former President John Dramani Mahama’s administration as an Animal Farm government.
“That is why you had unknown people appearing from nowhere and getting top appointments while people like you and other executives who had toiled for the party had been ignored.
“I promise a paradigm shift from that of former President Mahama’s style of governance, he appointed outsiders into his government because he was not familiar with true party people.
“The former president’s unfamiliarity with true party faithful was due to his inability to work his way through the ranks of the party, so in 2004, while I was Minority Leader, I campaigned for him in his constituency.
“It is not for nothing that I have said I will make the party the fulcrum of my administration, if I am elected flagbearer and eventually win to become the president, I know our people and respect their efforts,” Mr Bagbin pledged.
The Deputy Speaker reminded the communicators of having nothing against former President Mahama and pointed out that following the untimely death of President Atta Mills in office in 2012, he lobbied for the former president, who was then vice to President Mills and was elected unopposed as flagbearer.
Mr Bagbin bemoaned that former Mahama-led administration neglected party faithful, resulting in pain amongst members including founders and leaders.
He touted his rich experience, having served as Minority and Majority Leader, through which he also served as member of the party’s Functional Executive Committee, National Executive Committee and Council of Elders.