A New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) has called on the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to express a heartfelt gratitude to the government of the day and President Akufo-Addo for making it possible for them to celebrate their silver jubilee in style.
The NDC held a mammoth rally in Ashaiman on Saturday to celebrate its 25th Anniversary.
The rally was expected to be attended by all the party bigwigs including ex-presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Mahama.
It was the first time the two met on a public platform after ex-president John Rawlings openly criticised his compatriot John Mahama during the commemoration of the June 4 anniversary early this week.
Former President Rawlings while speaking at the event called on the party hierarchy to work together to ensure unity so they can build a strong party.
Commenting on the outcome of the rally, Ben Duker called on the NDC to apart from thanking God for a successful conference also commend the sitting President and the government as well.
“The NDC must thank the government for ensuring that there is peace in Ghana so they could afford to have a congress in free atmosphere…in other jurisdictions, it would have been very difficult to do so…,” the Tarkwa-Nuaem MP said on Adom FM’s Morning Show, ‘Dwaso Nsem’ on Monday.
According to him, the atmosphere of tolerance that was provided the NDC to come together and commemorate their anniversary is a clear manifestation of the level of tolerance of the government.
This feat, he said, could hardly be achieved in an intimidating attitude like the one that was offered the wife of former President, Rawlings, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings when she sought to contest late President Mills in the FONKAR-GAMES.
“It shows how tolerant the government led by Akufo-Addo is compared to that of Professor Mills which could stop Konadu in Cape Coast…am just praying that the NDC would fulfill Rawlings’ wish of a strong united party…,” he said.
This view, was rubbished by the Greater Accra organizer of the NDC, Anthony Nukpenu who was a co-panelist on the show.
Opposition parties, Nukpenu said, has always had the platform to operate in peaceful manners in the 4th Republic and hence the comment was not neither here nor there.
“Can you stop a leading opposition from holding a rally? That cannot happen because opposition parties have always been operating freely in Ghana…,” he said.
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