The assertion by General Secretary Johnson Asiedu-Nketia that 'the barking dog that scared away people from our party has been tamed,' has particularly, irked members of the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR), who are claiming that what they consider to be a very unfortunate statement was directed at the founder of the party, Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.

'The executive and the entire membership of the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR) in the Central Region of Ghana, consider as disappointing, dangerous, irritating and deeply insulting, the deliberate attempt by the mischievous elements in the party and government, led by Johnson Asiedu Nketia, to tarnish the image of our beloved Founder, Jerry John Rawlings.

'As a result, the General Secretary of the party has been asked to immediately resign,' a statement issued by the Central Regional Chapter of FONKAR said.

The statement, signed by David Forthgill Bentil, Regional Co-ordinator, and Kojo Koomson, Regional Chairman, said FONKAR was under no illusion that 'the barking dog that scared away people from our party has been tamed,' was directed at the founder of the party, and deemed it 'extremely unfortunate. We consider it as childish thought in the highest order,' the Central Regional Chapter of FONKAR, stated.

The organisation that supported the wife of the former president in her unsuccessful presidential bid, said it was only the corrupt elements in the party and government who fear the so-called 'Barking Dog', warning that even if the father dog would not bark, 'the puppies will bark until the party and the government' was cleaned up.

The statement said even though they were aware that politics was a game of numbers, 'when prodigal sons come back home, they are expected to respect their father.'

FONKAR said by the utterances of the leadership of those who returned, it was a blessing that they left. The group saw the exit of Dr. Obed Asamoah and his followers from the NDC as a blessing, because the party has not known peace since their recent return.

'With the exit of Obed and his cohorts, the NDC remains united, focused on the core principles of the party, and with a clear sense of purpose and direction to make relevant our presence in the Ghanaian political landscape.'

The statement warned that FONKAR would not sit idle for the likes of Asiedu-Nketia and Dr. Obed Asamoah to enslave Flt. Lt. Rawlings in his own house.

FONKAR insinuated that Mr. Rawlings, who is credited in the party's constitution as Founder of the NDC, was being referred to as a 'barking dog' because of the protective arms he threw around President John Evans Atta Mills and Asiedu-Nketia when the going got tough for the party sometime ago.

The group within the NDC accused President Mills of being ungrateful to his mentor, Jerry Rawlings, 'the man who brought him from obscurity to the limelight, and stood by him in the face of internal political adversity.

'We will not turn a blind eye to the deliberate attempts to make Rawlings irrelevant in his own party. He would forever be loved by the Central Regional Chapter of FONKAR, and we are prepared to match his detractors boot for boot,' the statement added.

The statement asked President Mills to call the General Secretary, Dr. Asamoah, and all those who are now using their positions in the NDC to vilify the founder to order, before they cause more havoc to the fortunes of the party and the presidency.

On his return to the NDC at the weekend, Dr. Obed Asamoah directed a salvo at the founder of the party, claiming that Jerry Rawlings never really founded the party. It was at the same function in Accra that Asiedu Nketia insinuated that the 'barking dog' that chased them away, had been tamed.