Former Vice-Chairman of the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) has withdrawn from the flag-bearership race of the party.
Dr Spio-Garbrah failed to meet the requirements of the party and the deadline for submission of his nomination forms.
His aide, Alhaji Mohammed Naziru said the withdrawal was necessitated by insurmountable technical challenges related to securing the necessary endorsements from constituency representatives.
He will neither confirm nor deny long-held speculations that Dr Spio-Garbrah will throw his weight behind former first lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.
He said the former Vice-Chairman of the NDC will continue to do all he can to build the party and brighten its chances of winning the 2012 elections.
Meanwhile, pollster and election watcher Ben Ephson has disagreed with Alhaji Naziru’s explanation insisting that Dr. Spio-Garbrah’s withdrawal was part of a game plan which will put him in good stead for the flag-bearership slot of the party in 2016.
He said Dr. Spio-Garbrah knew he had no chance in this election but went ahead to start the process as part of a strategy to open doors for his future presidential ambitions.
Mr. Ephson is of the view that Mrs Rawlings who also presented her nomination form on Wednesday morning is also in the contest to make a point and not necessarily to win.
He said he will be surprised if Mrs Rawlings actually believes she could beat President Mills.
The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketsia on his part described the development as “unfortunate” but urged Dr. Garbrah to remain loyal to the NDC and promote the party’s image.
“We want him to continue to be a dedicated member of the party, to play his democratic roles since he is a good card-bearing member. He should continue to project a good image of our party. We also thank those who filed their nominations to beat the deadline”.
Source: Myjoyonline.com and Citifmonline.com/Ghana
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