"Mrs. Rawlings Is NDC Co-Founder, Doesn't Need Post":

A dye-in-the-wool member of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) party, Alhaji Iddrisu Bature, has taken a swipe at former First Lady and President of the 31st December Women’s Movement, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings’ intention to contest for the 1st National Vice Chair position of the party, saying it will cause disaffection within the rank and file of the party, and might lead to the party ceding power to its main political foe, the NPP in 2012.

The deeply ingrained NDC activist also strongly contends that Mrs. Rawlings decision will create factionalism and conflict within the hierarchy of the party.

Speaking to Citifm, a private radio station in Accra, on Monday, Alhaji Bature, who even described the former First Lady “as a co-founder of the NDC”, opined that with the influence wielded by the former first lady in the party, her desire to seek for any official endorsement is unnecessary and a belittling of her status.

“Yes I have a big problem with her decision to contest for the 1st Vice Chair of the NDC party, because it will break the party’s unity and cohesion. It will also pose a big threat to NDC chances in 2012; in short it will be counter-productive. Because as we all know, Nana Konadu Agyeman is the wife of the founder of the NDC, Rawlings, and being a wife of the founder, by extension she is also accorded the founder’s position. If you like, you can call her co-founder, because as you know, they are all Christians and in Christianity when a man and woman get married, they become one flesh, so by extension, Nana Konadu could also be referred to as co-founder. And in actual practice, apart from the founder, Jerry Rawlings, Nana Konadu is the second most powerful person in the party,” he said.

Mr. Bature admits that the NDC constitution is silent on or does not impose any restrictions on persons seeking to contest for any position in the party, but posited that her decision, if carried out would be ill-advised.

“Can you imagine Nana Konadu as the wife of the founder sitting at the National Executive Committee meeting as the 1st Vice chair and being asked to shut down by the Chairman of the party or being heckled by the Women’s Organizer or the National Youth Organizer of the party? I mean it doesn’t look well for the party at all, and I don’t know why she wants to do this. Currently the position she occupies even though it’s not official, is more powerful than even the chairman of the party…It is not everything that has been captured in the constitution, there are certain things that you must…look at its practicality,” he stated.

The host of HotFM’s “Alhaji and Alhaji” programme pleaded with Mrs. Rawlings to re-consider her decision since it will not serve the larger interest of the NDC party.

“I’m appealing to her conscience and the people around her to talk to her that what she is about to embark on is not in the interest of the party….I have not spoken to her. I’m only calling on her through the media not to do that, just like I am doing with you now, and if some people do not understand – it’s their cup of tea,” he ranted.

However, a pressure group in the NDC, Business Supporting Business Association (BSBA), sharply disagrees with Alhaji Bature.

Speaking on the same platform, the Communications Director of the Association, Bawa Fatal Mgbo, said she (Konadu) stands a better position to properly handle the internal issues within the party that could help the party retain political power in 2012.

Source: Alex Ofei/Peacefmonline