The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Fifi Kwetey, has rejected claims of internal discord in the party following President John Mahama’s directive to withdraw a private member’s Bill seeking to abolish the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP).
Speaking on Channel One TV on Tuesday, December 16, Mr Kwetey said views expressed by individual MPs should not be mistaken for the official position of the NDC.
He explained that opinions only become party policy when they are discussed and agreed upon at the highest decision-making level.
“Now, this view on the Special Prosecutor, clearly, I mean, individuals can have their own perspective,” he said. “The decision becomes a political decision if it’s discussed at the highest level of our party.”
He said that position is determined through structures such as the party’s political committee, chaired by the President and made up of both current and former leaders. “Then anyone who articulates that position is speaking on behalf of the party,” he stated.
Mr Kwetey stressed that statements made in Parliament may reflect personal positions rather than the collective stance of the NDC. “Otherwise, whatever somebody might say in parliament represents the person’s personal positions and that personal position is absolutely not the party’s position,” he said, adding that internal disagreement is not unusual. “It’s okay to have disagreement, it’s not a problem.”
He emphasised that the President, as leader of the party, has the final authority to articulate the NDC’s position on critical national matters. “What the president states as the leader of the party represents that,” he said. He added that even differing views within government do not override that authority. “The president can even disagree with the finance minister.”
“At the end of the day, the one who is in charge of the vehicle is the president,” Mr Kwetey said. “The president, together with the leadership of the party, represents the party’s highest position.”
He noted that while MPs and party members are free to hold personal views, they must distinguish them clearly from the party’s official stance. “We are not even saying that you are not entitled to have your personal opinion,” he said. “But ultimately, the view of the party is articulated either by the President.”
Mr Kwetey’s comments come amid public speculation that President Mahama’s intervention to halt the Bill had exposed divisions within the NDC, a claim he firmly dismissed.