<<Print>>

Former president Jerry John Rawlings says he is pained by the Governing National Democratic Congress (NDC�s) perilous departure from the values that made the party formidable force in the nation�s politics. The NDC, under president John Atta Mills had become a salable commodity for sale �like some court houses are up for sale,� he regretted. The former president was speaking to some NDC supporters who accompanied a flag-bearer contender of the party, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah to Mr Rawlings� house. The founder of the NDC repeated allegations of intimidation and vote buying by the Mills campaign saying that was unlike the NDC. Grounding his claims, Mr Rawlings said the teeming crowds that blocked roads when president Mills picked his nomination forms at the party office was bought and that there was no energy in the crowd. Touching on the controversial GH�90 million the Mills team is planning to spend on the campaign for the flag-bearership, which is currently a subject of investigations by the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI), former president Rawlings said the allegations were no fluke. He said denials by the president himself and some government were a desperate attempt to sweep the damning revelation under the carpet. The veracity of the allegations which were made by businessman, Herbert Mensah � who has not been able to produce the tape he said he had to back the claims � was unassailable, according to Mr Rawlings. He cautioned delegates of the NDC to be wary of the grand manipulation of the government which is seeking to subvert the popular will of the people by corrupting electoral process in the lead up to the governing party�s delegates� congress. Mr Rawlings is convinced someone other than President Mills will emerge the presidential candidate of the NDC after the July 8 Congress.