Various youth organisers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) across the country travelled to Accra yesterday to meet with the party�s founder, former President Rawlings and President John Evans Atta Mills, over the frosty relationship between the two leading figures.
But the meeting suffered a major setback as they could not see former President Rawlings, the NDC founder, let alone get audience with him.
When they arrived in the capital city, the group, numbering over 300 and led by one Mahmoud Mohammed, first went to the seat of government, the Osu Castle, to meet President Mills around 7.00am, before he left for the Eastern regional tour.
The youth, who wore party T- shirts with the inscription �NDC, Unity Now�, said the continued bad blood between the two leading men of the party was dividing the party and hurting its chances in the 2012 presidential and parliamentary elections.
Members of the group fell on their knees in unison immediately they saw the President and began passionately asking him to let bygone be bygone. The President spoke for a little over a minute with them before heading to the Eastern region.
Before the President left however, the group presented a petition to him, asking him and the party�s founder, Rawlings, to bury their differences in the interest of peace and unity before NDC goes to congress in Sunyani on July 8, 2011.
After meeting the President, the group proceeded to the Ridge office of former President Rawlings but he was no where to be found.
Though the leader of the group claimed they had notified the �old man� of their coming, at the time they got to the premises, Rawlings was not available because he was said to have been caught up in another equally important meeting.
Mamoud said, �He (Rawlings) lamented over the phone that he couldn�t meet us�. Since his spokesman and special aide Kofi Adams was also out of town, the group was said to have been received by one Captain Amegbetor who stood in for Mr Rawlings and received the petition on his behalf.
Though it was not clear who sponsored the group with regard to bussing the members from various locations to Accra, it is however believed the decision and action of the youth organisers to meet the party�s founder was part of a grand design being employed by some members of the Mills campaign team to get Mr. Rawlings to discourage his wife Nana Konadu from contesting the incumbent President for the flagbearership position of the party.
Indications are that the Mills campaign team considers Mrs Rawlings as its greatest threat in the impending contest and is bent on using various means to get her to rescind her decision to contest.
Some therefore consider Mr. Rawlings� inability to meet the youth organisers who went to his office, as a deliberate act to avoid any such entreaties for him to talk to his wife to step down.
Nana Konadu is submitting her nomination forms today.
Spokesman for the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams believes some of these people calling for unity in the party should be able to tell the President that �the situation of us going into this election with you is very�the fact that even people pick up forms to contest you shows that you must not run.�
Whilst he welcomes such calls for unity between the Rawlings and Mills camps, he said it would be better for these same people to tell the President to step down.
He told Daily Guide, �If they want the party to go and lose then they can talk about Nana Konadu not running, but if they care about this party so much and they want a unifying candidate that would be able to galvanise the grassroots along, then they should be telling his Excellency the President to give way for Nana Konadu the way Nelson Mandela did for Thabo Mbeki.�
He noted: �It�s better for the President to step down. It is not too late at all to go and ask our General Secretary that I�m withdrawing my forms and I�m supporting�even he can choose to bless one of the two, Spio Garbrah or Nana Konadu.�
This, according to him, should not be a tough decision for President Mils at all since �he can look at the two and choose in his heart of hearts who he thinks would do a good job among the two and support that person.�
But leader of the NDC youth organisers who travelled to Accra yesterday said they told President Mills point blank that if they did something that jeopardized the party, it jeopardized the youth more than those of them in authority.
The leader said, �He (President Mills) underscored the fact that it was a good thing we are doing as youth who are thinking about the party and who have the blood and the energy to make sure that the party can stand on its feet and the party can win election. �He recognised the need and he was going to do everything in his capacity to make sure that the bridge no longer widens.�
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