Political marketing strategist, Dr Kobby Mensah, has advised the leadership of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to move quickly to end the simmering internal tension being generated by Prof Kwamena Ahwoi’s book.
The book, “Working with Rawlings,” chronicles Prof Kwamena Ahwoi’s working experience with former President Jerry John Rawlings, their ups and downs before they “drifted apart.”
Aspects of the book have generated some harsh replies from the parties cited in its contents, raising questions about the timing.
Dr Kobby Mensah told GhanaWeb on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, the timing of the sensational book is suspicious but said the issues raised by the book will not affect the NDC's 2020 campaign.
“It can actually bring some uneasiness in the camp of the NDC. When the uneasiness is not handled properly, then, of course, it can definitely affect their own focus and their own equation. But whether the electorates will necessarily be impacted by this and as a result affect their fortunes, I think that it will be a stretch,” the Political Scientist said.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings, Dr Omane Boamah and Felix Ofosu Kwakye, who have all been mentioned in the book, have all denied claims made in the book about them.
The Volta Region Chairman of the NDC, Dan Abodakpi, has also jumped to the defence of Mr Rawlings, calling out Mr Ahwoi for attempting a smear campaign against the former leader of the party.
Some comments about the matter have suggested that the release of the book three months to a major election points to the fact that Prof Kwamena Ahwoi and his brothers – Kwesi Ahowi and Ato Ahwoi – do not want the NDC presidential candidate in the December elections, John Mahama, to win the polls.
Prof Ahwoi and his two brothers are regarded as key influencers within the party.
While distancing himself from this assertion, Dr Mensah said the denials by the persons mentioned in the book could have been prevented if the author of the book had consulted them before publishing.
“The party which actually wrote the book, in my view, since these individuals are available, could have crossed checked with them. To see whether indeed their version of the story corresponds with what they think transpired. That didn’t happen,” he told GhanaWeb.
He said unless the matter is quickly nipped in the bud, the internal wrangling the book will generate in the various camp within the NDC could affect the party’s preparation and focus ahead of the crucial December polls.
Prof Kwamena Ahwoi's book has generated a controversy within the NDC