Highly disillusioned grassroots supporters and some disgruntled senior members of the governing party are publicly venting their frustration on their leadership over what they see as a lack of jobs and broken promises after more than a year in power, creating tension within the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Party activists, also known as “footsoldiers,” have been expressing dissatisfaction on a number of social media platforms and leaked internal party communication channels about a variety of issues, from the slow pace of implementation of the much-discussed “Operation Recover All Loot” (ORAL) and the prosecution of former government officials to the lack of opportunities in security services recruitment.
Many of the grassroots members attribute their rage to what they see as an increasing disparity between the chances afforded to them with the NDC in power and the sacrifices made during the election campaign.
The continuous recruiting into the security forces, which is overseen by Mr. Mohammed-Mubarak Muntaka, the Minister for the Interior, is a significant issue that is upsetting the party’s already disgruntled members.
Social media has been used by NDC youth organisations and activists to accuse the Interior Ministry of engaging in “secret” or “protocol-based” recruitment, which they claim enriches a select few while excluding regular party members.
They contended that party faithful shouldn’t be having difficulty gaining access to chances within state institutions after actively working to ensure the victory of President John Dramani Mahama and the NDC.
Some party supporters are publicly urging President Mahama to fire the Interior Minister for allegedly failing to give party members preference during the hiring process because the rage has reached a breaking point.
The implementation of an online aptitude testing platform for the recruiting process is another significant problem brought up by NDC supporters and non-party applicants.
Candidates contend that people without reliable internet access or adequate digital skills are disadvantaged by the digital platform, especially those from rural areas.
They also contended that the method has essentially left out a large number of young people without jobs who are unable to pay for the internet or make repeated attempts to finish the online process.
Another contentious aspect of the hiring process is the private technology company TribeNet’s involvement.
Opponents claim that hiring a private company to handle recruiting administration has increased administrative obstacles and increased costs for candidates.
Many disgruntled party supporters believe that the recruitment procedure may not be as open as officials say.
Despite the mounting criticism, Interior Minister Muntaka has rejected the accusations as baseless.
He has insisted that the hiring procedure was impartial and open.
He claims that the procedure was created especially to get rid of intermediaries and corruption who had previously taken advantage of applicants.
Mr. Muntaka clarified that the Centralised Services E-Recruitment Portal (C-SERP) was implemented by the government to guarantee merit-based selection as opposed to politically influenced hiring.
Additionally, he said that the ministry had set up a specific email platform for the public to report any suspected fraud or wrongdoing throughout the hiring process.
Mr. Muntaka went on to say that the medical screening phase, which is set for March 16, 2026, would only be open to those who passed the documents and physical checks.
In addition to the controversy surrounding recruitment, many NDC supporters are voicing dissatisfaction over what they perceive to be a sluggish prosecution of former New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration officials.
Recall that the NDC promoted ORAL as a significant anti-corruption program in the run-up to the 2024 general election, with the goal of looking into and recovering public funds purportedly “stolen” by previous government officials.
However, because of what they see as the lack of apparent prosecutions, some NDC footsoldiers are becoming irate and losing faith in ORAL as likely a myth.
They state that the commitment to hold previous officials accountable may not be fulfilled due to the apparent delay in prosecutions.
The recent scandal surrounding GoldBod Jewellery Limited’s affiliation with the Women of Valour program in London, which was organised by media star Nana Aba Anamoah, has intensified the already high level of animosity within the ruling NDC.
At a time when many grassroots activists are having financial difficulties, the state-owned organization’s sponsoring of the event has drawn criticism from a number of NDC sympathisers and kingpins.
After Gertrude Emefa Donkor, the Managing Director of GoldBod Jewellery, was charged with defending the company’s role, the criticism grew more intense.
GoldBod Jewellery later clarified in a statement that it did not sponsor the event financially.
As part of its marketing push for Ghana Heritage Month, the company clarified that its involvement was restricted to providing participants with promotional discounts on jewellery purchases.
It underlined that the collaboration was solely promotional and in line with comparable marketing initiatives carried out during other noteworthy events, such Valentine’s Month.
Mr Mustapha Gbande, the NDC’s deputy general secretary, has courageously come forth to call for calm in the face of mounting disappointment.
Mr. Gbande addressed the complaints being voiced by grassroots members and stressed that the leadership was aware of their worries in a message to party supporters on his Facebook page, which has now spread on other social media platforms.
However, he said that political rivals who want to take advantage of the annoyances of sincere party followers are amplifying some of the tales that are being spread online.
Mr. Gbande emphasised that the government and the party function as distinct entities and advised members not to leave the party due to the behaviour of a select minority.
Source: newsthemegh.com