News:
April 18, 2011
Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu has said he doubts if former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is capable of leading the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to victory in the 2012 elections.
Speaking on Joy FM’s flagship programme Newsfile Saturday, he said, although she was popular within the NDC party, there is no way the nation would accept her as the president of Ghana.
“I do not have faith in the electoral fortunes and success of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings in a general election in Ghana,” Mr Iddrisu argued, citing Ghanaians dislike for presidential dynasty for his contention.
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings early this week announced her intention to contest President Mills at the party’s congress scheduled for July 8, this year.
But the Communications Minister said it has been proven that the possibility of a sitting president getting a renewed mandate is very high, citing 1996 and 2004 when former presidents Rawlings and Kufuor won the respective elections when they were retained by their parties.
Mr Iddrisu however said President Mills was unperturbed by the decision of Mrs Rawlings to contest him.
“Mills is not afraid of nothing, the President is not perturbed, he is not worried at all, indeed, he welcomes the contest and he is ready for the contest… So let nobody think President Mills is afraid of a contest from Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.”
Mr Iddrisu who opposed former President Rawlings’ opened criticism on President Mills said although he recognised the tremendous contributions of the Rawlingses to the formation and electoral fortunes of the party, he pleaded, “Let the founder [Mr Rawlings], Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and everybody, at least respect the office and the authority of the president.”
But contributing on the same programme, spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams, gave the strongest indication yet, that there was no turning back on Mrs Rawlings’ decision to contest President Mills.
He said Mrs Rawlings was motivated to challenge Prof. Mills by the groundswell of support she enjoyed from the grassroots and the numerous calls on her by some top party members to lead the party to the 2012 general elections.
“We (Mrs Rawlings’ supporters) are being told that you may not stand but we want to see the next step whether indeed you are preparing to do it, because we are being told that you just want to get some persons to wake up to what is expected of them. So if indeed you really want to do it, we want to see a move. That made her to take that step [to resign her position as the NDC National Vice-Chairperson],” Kofi Adams pointed out.
Communications Minister, Haruna Iddrisu has said he doubts if former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is capable of leading the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) to victory in the 2012 elections.
Speaking on Joy FM’s flagship programme Newsfile Saturday, he said, although she was popular within the NDC party, there is no way the nation would accept her as the president of Ghana.
“I do not have faith in the electoral fortunes and success of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings in a general election in Ghana,” Mr Iddrisu argued, citing Ghanaians dislike for presidential dynasty for his contention.
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings early this week announced her intention to contest President Mills at the party’s congress scheduled for July 8, this year.
But the Communications Minister said it has been proven that the possibility of a sitting president getting a renewed mandate is very high, citing 1996 and 2004 when former presidents Rawlings and Kufuor won the respective elections when they were retained by their parties.
Mr Iddrisu however said President Mills was unperturbed by the decision of Mrs Rawlings to contest him.
“Mills is not afraid of nothing, the President is not perturbed, he is not worried at all, indeed, he welcomes the contest and he is ready for the contest… So let nobody think President Mills is afraid of a contest from Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.”
Mr Iddrisu who opposed former President Rawlings’ opened criticism on President Mills said although he recognised the tremendous contributions of the Rawlingses to the formation and electoral fortunes of the party, he pleaded, “Let the founder [Mr Rawlings], Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and everybody, at least respect the office and the authority of the president.”
But contributing on the same programme, spokesperson for the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams, gave the strongest indication yet, that there was no turning back on Mrs Rawlings’ decision to contest President Mills.
He said Mrs Rawlings was motivated to challenge Prof. Mills by the groundswell of support she enjoyed from the grassroots and the numerous calls on her by some top party members to lead the party to the 2012 general elections.
“We (Mrs Rawlings’ supporters) are being told that you may not stand but we want to see the next step whether indeed you are preparing to do it, because we are being told that you just want to get some persons to wake up to what is expected of them. So if indeed you really want to do it, we want to see a move. That made her to take that step [to resign her position as the NDC National Vice-Chairperson],” Kofi Adams pointed out.