I will contest November poll - Nana Konadu

Former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings has thrown her hat in the ring for the November Presidential elections.

'There are a number of people who have shown interest. If the interest is still there, I'll be one of the competitors...if the interest is not there I'll still compete", she said at the launch of a revamped 'Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rwalings' (FONKAR) in Accra on Thursday.

Mrs Rawlings, who was disqualified by the Electoral Commission (EC) from competing in the 2012 Presidential Election after failing to meet the commission's criteria, also used the occasion to urge Ghanaians to speak up about the challenges confronting the country.

'There are things that we should all be talking about which as Ghanaians we've kept quiet…and you ask yourself, why are we quiet? Do we want an explosion on our hands before we talk?

'Our great grandfathers and mothers did not keep quiet that is why we have independence. They fought for something. Let us all be strong enough and fight for something. Positive fighting, positive work will elevate the country and whatever community we live in,' she said.

Touching on the spate of killings in the country in recent times, Mrs Rawlings said the government had the responsibility to protect the lives and property of the citizenry.

She said: 'It is for these reasons that we pay taxes so that our taxes can be used to pay the police and other security agencies so that they protect us. Inasmuch as we cannot have one policeman per Ghanaian and therefore we need to have a certain sense of personal responsibility, we also need to know that we are safe with our police and the military in our country. I personally think that we are in a state of mourning but I personally feel that it is important that we feel secure whether in our homes, or on our roads and workplaces.

'The only way is to let us know that you are in charge of us and in charge of our country and we have security because you are giving it to us.'

Mrs Rawlings' comments come two days after the Member of Parliament for Abuakwa North, Mr J.B. Danquah, was murdered at his home at Shiashie in Accra.

The MP was killed at dawn on Tuesday when his assailant (s) entered his room at dawn and inflicted multiple stabs on him.