General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Aseidu Nketia has described as laughable reports that founder of the NDC, former President Jerry Rawlings was not privy to the party?s intended merger with the defunct Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) and was also not invited to witness the reunion.

Asiedu Nketia, who confirmed that Mr Rawlings was indeed not invited to the ceremony, was however emphatic that the founder?s presence was not necessarily required at events such as press conferences.

To him, any party activist who considers the absence of Mr Rawlings at the press conference announcing the NDC/DFP alliance to mean a snub of the founder, is either ignorant of the party?s constitution or is just playing mischief.

The leadership of the DFP and the ruling NDC on Tuesday, May 23 concluded the much-anticipated merger of the two parties which was announced sometime last year.

At the ceremony, founder and chairman of the DFP, Dr. Obed Asamoah told the media that their decision to go back to the NDC has been after a long deliberation with its executives, adding that they had talks with some leading members of the NDC on the same subject.

Dr. Asamoah, one-time National Chairman of the NDC, Bede Zieden former General Secretary of the NDC and Frances Assiam, a former Women?s Organiser of the NDC, all broke away from the party after the Sunyani Congress in 2006.

They formed the DFP after the breakaway and have since decided to join the NDC fold. Frances Assiam, however, broke away from the DFP and is now the parliamentary aspirant for the Adenta Constituency on the ticket of the biggest opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Also present at the NDC headquarters was Nii Okaija Adamafio, a former Minister of Interior and hundreds of NDC supporters who turned up to witness the reunion ceremony.

However, spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Mr. Kofi Adams claims his boss was deliberately sidelined and was not at the meeting held by the party?s Council of Elders which agreed on the merger because of his [Rawlings] recent criticisms of the ruling party and government.

But the NDC Chief Scribe simply chortled when reached for his comments.

General Mosquito, as the NDC General Secretary is affectionately called told Kwame Nkrumah Tikese, host of Okay FM?s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show in an interview that ?it is the most laughable argument I have heard about the NDC, DFP merger?.

According to him, neither Mr Rawlings nor any member of the Council of Elders has ever been invited to a press conference that discusses the party?s day-to-day activities or its engagement with other political parties. Besides, he said, the NDCs Council of Elders, which is chaired by the founder, met to discuss whether the party should join forces with the DFP or not.

?The Chairman of the Council of Elders [Rawlings] does not necessarily have to be present at all party activities?indeed the council met to deliberate over the issue (of merging with DFP) before the National Executive Council (NEC) proceeded (to look into the nitty-gritty of the reunion)?.it is therefore ridiculous for anybody to assume Mr Rawlings has been sidelined by the NDC,?either such a person is not in favour of the merger and unity in the party or is deliberately throwing dust in people?s eyes,? Asiedu Nketiah said.