'I have a bone to pick with Rawlings' - Alhaji Bature

An outspoken member of the ruling NDC, Alhaji Iddrissu Bature says he has a bone to pick to with the founder of the NDC, former president Jerry John Rawlings.

He said the former president “had no moral right to refer to some leading members of the party as 'characters'”.

Speaking to citi FM in Accra, Alhaji Bature said whatever disaffection and disunity that exists in the NDC should be blamed squarely on Mr. Rawlings.

His comments followed statements attributed to Mr. Rawlings which indicate the founder of the ruling party is unhappy with some individuals in the party who appear to be close to the presidency.

Mr. Rawlings reiterated his attacks on the slow pace at which president Mills was doing things.

The seeming inaction by the president, to the chagrin of Mr. Rawlings is blamed on some leading members of the NDC.

These individuals, Alhaji Bature suspects, include Kofi Totobi Quarkyi, P.V. Obeng and Captain (retd.) Kojo Tsikata.

But he thinks the former president has no moral locus to complain about them because he (Rawlings) against wise counsel refused to make peace with the individuals in question.

He noted that when he noticed signs of disunity in the party a couple of years ago and drew Mr. Rawlings' attention, as the founder of the party, to the need to call a meeting and iron out all differences, the former president blatantly refused.

He read what he said was a text message sent to him by Mr. Rawlings thanking him for the observation but saying the people in question lacked integrity.

“Integrity means a lot me,” Alhaji Bature quoted Mr Rawlings as saying.

“(Rawlings) is not the right person to make these statements because he has failed to unite the party. As a founder of the party, you should not have had rivals in the party,” the former host of “Alhaji and Alhaji” on Radio Gold stated.

He said the former president was frustrated because he had no access to the presidency.

The public comments of Mr. Rawlings for him were meant to attract public sympathy.

Having lost access to the president, the vice president and other high profile persons in the presidency, the only avenue for Mr. Rawlings is to court public sympathy through populist statements.

The president was not spared by Alhaji Bature who said there was no need for Prof. Mills to remind Ghanaians that he was the only president.

“You don't need to say you are the only president, you need to live it, walk it and demonstrate to the people by your actions that you are in charge.”

He is disappointed that the president has not interrogated people like the MP for Abuakwa South, Atta Akyea and Maxwell Kofi Juma.

These two people he believes planned to create mayhem during the December elections last year and do not deserve to be walking free.

Story by Malik Abass Daabu