National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Vice Chairmanship aspirant Alfred Kofi Agbesi Woyome has threatened to mobilise grassroots supporters for street protests if the party fails to address what he describes as growing “godfatherism” and restore political and financial power to its grassroots structures.
Speaking to journalists shortly after successfully completing his vetting, Mr Woyome warned that the NDC was gradually drifting away from its revolutionary foundations, with political influence becoming increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few powerful individuals.
He argued that the trend threatened the party’s founding principles of grassroots participation and internal democracy, which he said were central to Ghana’s democratic development.
“But what I’ve seen recently is that our party is drifting into godfatherism, which will not augur well for the revolution and for those people who died for this Fourth Republican Constitution, which has stabilised Ghana,” he stated.
Drawing a distinction between the NDC and the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Woyome maintained that the NDC was founded on grassroots participation and equal political opportunity rather than allegiance to influential individuals or families.
“Our party is a Congress. It gives opportunity to anybody, anywhere in this country, to aspire to be president. You don’t need to be loyal to one particular family,” he explained.
He further alleged that political advancement within the NPP was influenced by loyalty to certain prominent families, insisting that the NDC must resist any similar development.
“Our party came from revolution, and it started from grassroots participatory democracy,” he emphasised.
As part of his campaign, Mr Woyome pledged to champion the financial and political independence of NDC constituencies, arguing that local party structures should be adequately resourced to operate without depending on wealthy individuals or political patrons.
He promised to push for reforms that would return decision-making authority to grassroots members and strengthen their influence within the party.
Mr Woyome warned that, if elected, he would give the party leadership six months to implement the necessary changes, failing which he would mobilise grassroots supporters to protest.
“Knowing very well that the grassroots are going to vote for me, and I will receive an overwhelming vote, when I go there, I give them my pledge: within six months, ‘yɛn nyɛ a’ (if we don’t do it), we will take to the streets to make sure that we return all this power, which has been individualised, to the people at the grassroots,” he declared.
Meanwhile, Mr Woyome secured the number 14 position on the ballot following the vetting process but dismissed suggestions that ballot placement would determine the outcome of the contest.
“Picking the position is not the most important thing. The most important thing is the person behind that number and what he is able to do,” he remarked.
He expressed gratitude to God and his campaign team, led by former Deputy National Women’s Organiser Dr Catherine Deynu, for their support.
Story by: Errah Salifu Razak
