Andrew Okaikoi, a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) running for the Okaikoi North seat as an independent candidate, has called his party’s bluff, insisting that he will not rescind his decision to run as an independent candidate. He made the announcement after the NDC gave breakaway candidates an ultimatum to rejoin the party or face permanent expulsion from the party. Okaikoi, who is one of 24 independent candidates, said on Election Headquarters on Joy FM and Multi TV’s Joy News channel that no one can push him out of the party, saying of the ultimatum that, “it is not the party that is speaking, it is individuals that are speaking.” He said he is unaware of any official communication on the possible expulsion of members who do not adhere to the directive. Okaikoi refused to comply with the directive and insisted that he “will not be perturbed.” Personally, he “believes in people talking to each other in a more civil manner,” to find an amicable solution. He disclosed that some party big wigs – Cecilia Johnson, Faustina Nelson, Dan Abodakpi – met him and asked him to rejoin the party and contest in a new constituency on the NDC’s behalf. George Lawson, Deputy General Secretary of the NDC said, “once you don’t comply, you cease to be a member of the party … Once they don’t comply, they are not supposed to use our logos, colours, our Presidential candidate”. He observed that while some have heeded the call and rescinded their decisions, Okaikoi is calling the “bluff of the National Executives … the indiscipline he wants to bring, my boss [John Aseidu Nketia] will issue a statement to that effect.” Dr. Kpessah White, a Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, said it would be unwise for the NDC to expel members days before the elections. According to him, “as far as politics is about numbers and it’s also a contact sport, I don’t think it is a prudent decision for the political party to tread that road because whether you like it or not these individuals have more or less positioned themselves as opinion leaders in their constituencies.” These members, he explained, could take local voters with them as they leave the party. Considering the timing, “it is not wise for any political party to take this kind of decision.” He advised that, “the most prudent approach would have been to deal with this issue on case by case bases, empower the party executives at the constituency and local level to try and find a much more conciliatory way of resolving whatever differences exist.”