[ 2011-04-19 ]

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings and some members of the 31st December Women's Movement

Konadu not for sale, won’t stand down – Kofi Adams
Spokesperson for former First Lady Nana Konadu
Agyeman-Rawlings has rebuffed calls for her to
stand down her decision to contest President John
Evans Atta Mills for the ruling party’s 2012
flag-bearer slot.

Kofi Adams says Nana Konadu, who is president of
the 31st December Women's Movement, will go all
the way to file her nomination, contest for the
position and national election and hopefully win
to become the first woman president of Ghana.

Speaking in an interview with Myjoyonline.com on
the back of claims that a group within the
National Democratic Congress was mobilizing to buy
Nana Konadu out of her presidential ambition, Kofi
Adams said the former first lady’s motivations
are far removed FROM personal gains, and it was
therefore preposterous for anyone to suggest that
she could be enticed with monetary or personal
gains.

“The decision to contest for the flag-bearership
of the NDC was a decision that was meticulously
taken because it was done out of detailed
consultation with serious persons after series of
calls on her to come out to save the party from
defeat in the 2012 elections and also to move on,
win the election and deliver what is expected of
the NDC from 2013.

“So for anybody to suggest that she is into this
for material gain and therefore there are some
persons who are thinking of buying her out with
money and juicy contracts should be joking because
that is not what motivated her. It is not
contracts, it is not money that is motivating her,
it is to save the party from defeat and possibly
total annihilation after this defeat that has
energised her to be able to come out and to reduce
the level of apathy so nobody should dream of that
because that is not what she is into situation
for.”

Asked if Nana Konadu’s decision to contest was
not also motivated by the perceived sidelining of
the Rawlingses by the Mills administration and for
which she is aggrieved, Kofi Adams said aggrieved
Nana Konadu is a politician who does not take
decisions based on grievances but was a meticulous
response to the calls of cadres, supporters and
sympathizers across the country to save the party
from imminent defeat.

He said news reports of mass regional endorsements
of President Mills could be misleading because the
same executives on the ground are the ones
reaching Nana Konadu and asking her to contest to
save the party from the hands of its opponents,
adding that Nana Konadu comes with her own
requisite attractions to the presidential ticket
beyond the government’s performance.

“The performance of President Mills will be a
plus and minus in our campaign that is why we need
a candidate also that brings something on board
other than just looking at the performance of the
government. If it is just the performance of
governments alone, I don’t think any election
would be lost because any government tries to do
one thing or the other. So Nana Konadu brings
something more than the track record of the
government… don’t forget this is a person who
has also built her own track record – things
that have never been done by first ladies in terms
of development and alleviating the (plight of) the
disadvantaged in the society – she did it. She
brought the woman to the level that the woman is
today, she saved the children in many ways,
through various intervention projects like income
generating activities, marketing centres, day-care
centres, water projects and what have you, even
clinics. So this is somebody who has done it all
and who has the track record as people can see.
They look at her and know that when given such a
bigger national platform, she will be able to do
so much for this country. She comes with this
track record.”

The ruling party on Monday outlined guidelines for
its flagbearer contest, specifying conditions for
interested party members to meet.

Among other demands, the party said "Persons
intending to run as Presidential Candidate must
qualify to contest as a President of Ghana, under
Article (62) of the 1992 Constitution of the
Republic of Ghana and, Article (44) of the
Party’s Constitution which states inter alia,
that he or she must be;

(a) A citizen of Ghana.

(b) A member of a branch of the Party.

(c) A known and active member of the Party for not
less than 4 years

(d) Not a member of any other Political Party

(e) An active and card bearing member of the Party
with fully paid up membership dues.

(f) Accept the constitution, philosophy and
policies of the Party

(g) Not facing any disciplinary action for breach
of the Party’s Disciplinary Code and
Constitution.

(h) Has qualified in terms of the 1992
Constitution of the Republic of Ghana to be
elected as Member of Parliament and President of
the Republic of Ghana.

(i) Is not a member of the executive committee at
any level of the party at the time of the picking
of his/her nomination form.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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