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Jubilation in one camp and broken hearts in the other was the scene at the special delegates� congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) when the Electoral Commission declared President J.E.A. Mills the re-elected presidential candidate of the party for the 2012 Presidential election. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, wife of the former President and founder of the NDC FIt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, had made a bold attempt to contest the incumbent President Mills, but only succumbed emotionally to the will of the delegates when they re-affirmed their faith in the President in the nerve�wracking, but highly successful congress described by many as a make-or-break for the party. At the end of the three-day congress, President Mills secured an overwhelming 2,771 votes, representing 96.9 per cent while Nana Konadu got 90 votes out of the total of 2866 votes cast representing 3.1 per cent. Five of the votes were rejected. The signs were all over the congress ground. First was the seemingly deafening silence that greeted the Rawlingses on arrival at the Sunyani Coronation Park. The Rawlingses are very used to triumphant entries during such occasions, but this time round, it was directly the opposite. Could it be that because they arrived at a time prayers were being said, the cheers that usually greeted their arrivals at NDC gatherings were surprisingly missing. The charismatic former leader, whose presence at NDC events evokes emotions, this time failed to ignite the crowd. After exchanging pleasantries with delegates and invited guests, the former President and his wife quietly took their seats. In contrast, there was a massive uproar for President Mills when he entered, with delegates waving their white handkerchiefs enthusiastically amid tooting of horns and �vuvuzelas�. Was President Mills at the Coronation Park to be crowned the NDC flagbearer for the 2012 election? This was exactly what happened at the end of the congress, which sent shock and disbelief to the Rawlingses and their team of supporters who had al1 along been bubbling with confidence of emerging victorious. Indeed, many delegates were frank to state in public their preference for President Mil1s without any hesitation. Many loyal or close associates of the Rawlingses had al1 deserted his camp and had pitched camp with President Mil1s. The question many asked were whether the Rawlingses had been deserted by their own. That Nana Konadu got �Three over 100,� no doubt, is a very poor showing by al1 standards. Nana Konadu explained that her entry into the NDC slot to lead the party in the 2012 presidential election was informed by calls from numerous members to save the party from returning to opposition. The former First Lady, who was speaking in Sunyani on Saturday prior to voting at the NDC National Delegates Congress, said the members included the youth, foot soldiers, some ministers of state, as wel1 as some founding members of the party. Nana Konadu�s clarion cal1 to the delegates for them to be bold and change the status quo did not happen. Rather, the delegates were bold to support and reaffirm the status quo. Right from the word go, the body language between the President and the Rawlingses was very casual. It was just a flash, when the President greeted the former President on his arrival to the dais. But rising above the crushing defeat handed to his wife, the NDC Founder, J. J. Rawlings, drew tumultuous applause from a crowd who was hostile to him earlier in the day when he lifted the right hand of Prof. Mil1s shortly after Deputy E.C. chief, Kwadwo Safo Kantanka, declared the former law lecturer candidate-elect. Mrs Rawlings also demonstrated sportsmanship by walking to President Mil1s to shake hands with him. However, she unceremoniously left the stage while congratulations were stil1 being expressed without giving the traditional concession speech accompanied by the pledge to support the victor. Throughout the congress, former President Rawlings remained confident, but most of the time al1 by himself, while Nana Konadu looked pensive and had some chat with her daughter. Normal1y, Nana Konadu would be seen dancing and waving her NDC scarf, but this scene was virtually absent at last Saturday�s congress. On the contrary, President Mil1s and his running mate, Mr John Dramani Mahama, were cool, calm and col1ected as if they already knew the outcome of the special delegates congress. Otherwise, the congress itself was a success. It was very well organised with everything moving in precision and in unison. Now that the NDC, the ruling party, has become the second political party, after the largest opposition party - the New Patriotic Party - to elect its flag bearer for the 2012 election the real campaign will begin as amplified by the President to the NDC delegates and Ghanaians. Thankfully, the NDC congress had passed off smoothly with some lessons to be learnt. It has taught all of us that timing is very crucial and essential in the game of politics. It can be very disastrous if a politician fails to get his or her timing right. In the case of Nana Konadu, she got her timing wrong. Former President Rawlings himself agreed with this position when he indicated at the congress that political timing was very crucial, hence the government needed to put its act together to dispense justice to the people. Nonetheless, if Nana Konadu�s goal was to spur the party on by coming out to say what she believed were going wrong within the party, then, she had succeeded because President Mills gave the assurance in his victory speech that �certain issues and concerns raised by the rank and file of membership of the party during his campaign will be addressed.� �Let us leave here a united party. There should be no bickering, no name calling, no divisive tendencies,� were the parting advice offered by President Mills to delegates and members of the NDC at the end of the epoch-making National Delegates� Congress held in the ancient town of Sunyani. With regard to the delegates, their emphatic sentiment was time was not yet ripe for the NDC to change �the Yutong driver�, and that President Mills should remain their flag bearer for the 2012 election. The NDC congress was also historic in many ways. First, for the first time in Ghana�s history, a sitting President had been challenged within his own party two and a half years into his administration. Nana Konadu herself also made history as the first woman to contest a sitting President for the presidential slot. Some have suggested that it is not proper for a sitting President to be contested at a party primary, but others also argue that it would add value to democratic practice within the NDC. No doubt, the NDC had been through very interesting times, especially from the beginning of this year. Hopefully, now that the congress is over, it is believed that the party will settle down to work together in unity for Election 2012.