Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Jerry John Rawlings has described as falsehood claims that his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings wanted to be the running mate to the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
According to him, his wife never had meetings with the late President to lobby for the position like the world is made to think in a book written by Prof. Kwamena Ahwoi titled “Working with Rawlings”.
In his reply to the claims by the book which he has described as fabrications he said “It must be stated, that the claim by named persons in the book that Nana Konadu, at a meeting with Professor Mills requested for the Vice-Presidential slot is an outright fabrication. Nana Konadu never requested, indicated or discussed with any individual an intention or desire to be the running-mate to Vice-President Mills”.
He indicated that in 2011 when the former first lady decided to contest for the Presidential position, she was exercising her democratic rights as a citizen and a member of the NDC in good standing and not because she had a hidden agenda against the late President.
The former President indicated that unlike others who had not worked hard for the NDC but have manipulated events and people, to sow seeds of mistrust and disunity whilst promoting their own family agenda, his wife had paid her dues and qualified for the flag-bearer position of the NDC.
“Prior to her decision to contest President Mills in the 2011 NDC Primaries, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was the Vice-Chairman of the NDC, and she achieved that position by sheer merit, winning by a large majority at the 2010 Congress in Tamale. As with any other member of the Party or in the wider sphere, as a citizen of this country, she has a democratic right to contest an election employing hard work, a proven track record and sheer wit to her success. By doing so at the 2010 NDC Congress, she put herself in the spotlight, to be scrutinised and judged by the delegates who made their own decisions.This is in clear juxtaposition to others who never put any work into the success or survival of the NDC Party, have manipulated events and people, to sow seeds of mistrust and disunity whilst promoting their own family agenda. For the record the 2011 NDC primaries campaign of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, was led by personalities such as Hon. Michael Teye Nyaunu and Hon. Namburr Berrick.”