Despite the outcry that greeted changes in their leadership in Parliament, the National Chairman of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, maintains the party is not fractured.
According to him, the NDC remains unified, and the reforms have been embraced by the majority of NDC members.
"The NDC is not fractured at all, it's still a very cohesive party. The fact about any decision is that every shift brings new gainers, thus you will undoubtedly encounter some responses. However, the majority of NDC members across the country, and perhaps even here [UK], have embraced the shift. "The rearrangement has brought some fresh enthusiasm to the top of the NDC," Mr. Asiedu Nketiah stated in an address to party members in the United Kingdom.
He intimated that the party had planned to transfer its minority leadership as early as 2021, but had to postpone the move owing to the election petition issue.
"By March 2021, this leadership should have been reshuffled. I mentioned to Ghanaians that we didn't feel like continuing with that task because of our legal issue. And I made it plain that it was a work in progress, and that at some point, we would come out and tell Ghanaians who our future leader would be. As a result, I'm astonished that the decision shocked anyone. In reality, we were late for the modifications," he explained.
The National Chairman of NDC claimed the new leadership represents a regional balance than it used to be".
He also suggested that the party will make additional appointments.
"There will be a lot of appointments made, not only in Parliament," he remarked.
According to him, the changes will have no effect on the departing leadership's fortunes.
"Haruna Iddrisu is so powerful in his constituency and I wonder if anyone would fight him at the primary. Muntaka Mubarak is the sole candidate who will be contested, and we do not believe that these modifications will impact his chances of winning the primary. Klutse Avedzi will not run in the primaries, according to the NDC National Chairman.
The Minority caucus has been divided since the party replaced Minority Leader Haruna Iddrisu with Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson.
Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, MP for Ellembelle, also took over as Deputy Minority Leader from Ketu North MP, James Klutse Avedzi, while Kwame Governs Agbodza took over as Minority Chief from Asawase MP, Muntaka Mubarak.
Some MPs signed a petition opposing the party's decision due to a lack of consultation. Another group of MPs petitioned the NDC leadership to disregard requests to undo the reshuffling.
Following that, the NDC Council of Elders asked on both sides to halt shooting.