Konadu Picks Form

BATTLE READY! Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings

All is set for former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, to contest the flagbearership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the July congress of the party.

Nana Konadu is scheduled to pick nomination forms from the party's headquarters at Kokomlemle next week Tuesday at 9.00am, to enable her to contest incumbent President Mills for the position.

This will put to rest the controversy over whether or not she will run for the position with Mills who declared his intention to seek re-election about 18months ago.

A statement issued by her campaign team on Friday extended an open invitation to the media and members of the public, including her supporters, to witness and be part of the event which marks a significant turning point in the history of the country, as Mrs Rawlings would be the first female to attempt such a position.

It is not too clear whether she would be accompanied by her husband and founder of the NDC, former President Jerry John Rawlings, who visited Sandema yesterday to commiserate with the people of the area over the death of their paramount chief.

But one thing that is most certain is that several party faithful, especially foot-soldiers who draw a lot of inspiration from the Rawlingses, would throng the party headquarters to throw their weight behind the founder's wife.

Spokesperson for the Rawlingses and Deputy General Secretary of the NDC, Kofi Adams, also lent credence to Konadu's bid when he spoke on Peace FM's Kokrokoo morning show yesterday, indicating that she would officially launch her campaign on Wednesday, May 4 2011, a day after picking the nomination forms.

She is expected to name members of her campaign team at a press conference on that fateful day, after which Konadu and members of her campaign team will kick-start what is said to be a vigorous campaign.

Mrs Rawlings resigned her position as Vice Chairman of the NDC on Wednesday April 13, 2011 in a letter to the party's General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia and copied to the Chairman, Dr Kwabena Adjei and founder Rawlings.

Indications are that Mr. Rawlings is seriously lacing his boots to kick-start an intensive campaign among the rank and file of the party for his wife to challenge his one-time Vice President and now President Mills.

This was probably part of the reason why Konadu said, 'My husband, the former President and Founder of the party is solidly behind me. There's no way I would start doing something without thinking it through with him.

He advises and directs me before taking any decision. He would have to agree before I can hit my chest and say I'm going to do something. Before he also gives me that assurance it would be after he has consulted with some party members and elders who may not be known.' She made these revelations when she granted an interview to an Accra-based radio station recently.

A member of Konadu's campaign team, Saint Osei, told DAILY GUIDE several people have called to express interest in going with the former First Lady to pick the forms and that those of them in the Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings (FONKAR) would not be left out.

'NDC has this mechanism that we use; it has the people-centered approach which also we feel Prof. Mills lacks because when you make the grassroots weak, it affects the top. So we members of FONKAR feel we don't have a leader at the moment. So we feel that if somebody recognizes the work and toil of those at the grassroots, we feel that he or she is the person that we have to go with,' he said.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu