Rawlingses to make a “major move”- Kofi Adams

Jerry Rawlings lifting the hands of President Mills after the Sunyani Congress election as Mrs Rawlings storms off the dais.

The Rawlingses are expected to make a “major move” which might change the political complexion of the country, aide to ex-president Rawlings has said.

Kofi Adams would not state emphatically whether the ex-first family will be announcing a break away from the governing National Democratic Congress, a party they labored with others to bring into being.

He told Joy FM's Super Morning Show host Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah the decision by the Rawlingses will have far reaching implication on the country's politics.

“Major move in political situation, yes, but whether it means forming a political party; whether it means staying; whether it means what, I cannot tell at this moment,” he said.

Kofi Adams was unequivocal in impugning the integrity of the result of the just ended Congress which handed the ex-first lady a major blow in her desire to be voted the NDC party flag bearer.

She polled 90 votes representing 3.1 per cent of the total votes cast with the president polling 2,771 votes representing 96.9 per cent.

Mrs Rawlings left the Congress grounds without a concession speech, accusing the organizers of the Congress of not including the rank and file of the NDC in the Congress.

Her reaction and utterances gave credibility to rumours of a breakaway by the Rawlingses if the election did not go her way.

Kofi Adams, prior to Wednesday's press conference, said the Rawlingses campaign team has huge misgivings with the processes that led to the “choreographed results” of the Congress.

“The fear factor, the arrangement of all the process to sort of just let the delegates to decide that we are giving it to you out of fear should not be left unspoken about,” he said.

He said the rank and file is calling for some revolutionary changes and massive reforms within the party, including the expansion of the Electoral College which he said would have churned different results in the Congress.

“The reason for organizing such conferences is to allow for the will of the people, not a forced will, the true will so that it can be taken to confront an opponent outside,” he said.

Whilst insisting that the Rawlingses have not yet made comments in terms of a breakaway, he stated former President Rawlings has made it palpably clear that his principles will not allow him “lead a group of persons who may engage in acts that could be described as election thievery.”

Meanwhile, pollster Ben Ephson says he has cause to believe the Rawlingses will be planning a breakaway.

His paper has carried two stories, both of which he said have not been denied about the Rawlingses forming a new party.

He had picked information that some persons had attempted to patent the emblem of NDC. He said their haunch was given credibility by the statement of Mr Rawlings during the June 4 celebration that if the July Congress does not go in their favour the inevitable will happen.

He said it will be total disaster if Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings decides to go independent in the 2012 election but said she might only scuttle the ambition of the 2012 elections if the Rawlingses decide to form a political party.

Play the attached audio for excerpts of the interviews

Story by Nathan Gadugah/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana