President Nana Akufo-Addo is doing everything to “hijack” the funeral of the late former President Jerry John Rawlings, General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has said.
According to him, President Akufo-Addo has so far assumed a posture of sidelining the National Democratic Congress, the political party the late ex-president founded, from his funeral processes.
“We were sorely disappointed that the President of the Republic [Nana Akufo-Addo], even in issuing a statement of condolences, he refused or failed to recognize the fact that President Rawlings was the founder of the NDC. It is against all the different practices we have been engaged in, in the past, as far as the death of prominent members of the two political parties are concerned,” he said.
Mr Rawlings died on Thursday, 12 November 2020 at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital while on admission.
Action Chapel to hold memorial and prayer service in memory of Rawlings
After officially announcing Mr Rawlings’ funeral to the nation via a statement on Thursday, President Nana Akufo-Addo, on the same day, received a delegation from the family of the late president, who formally informed him of the death at the Jubilee House.
On Friday, 13 November 2020, the President held an event with the Ghana Armed Forces in honour of the former military leader.
He also led a government delegation that visited former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings to console her.
Both the president and his vice-president have also suspended all campaign activities after declaring a 7-day national mourning period during which all flags will fly at half-mast in Mr Rawlings’ honour.
The NDC’s presidential candidate, former President John Mahama and his running mate, Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, also suspended all their campaign activities and returned to Accra to mourn with the Rawlingses.
The NDC, led by Mr Mahama, held a meeting with a high-powered committee tasked to coordinate the funeral activities of the former President.