Nana Konadu’s campaign posters out

THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned that it has not given the green light for people with the intention of vying to become its presidential candidates for 2008.
It will, therefore, initiate investigations into activities of all those posting campaign posters and speaking on radio as a means of rooting for some people they claim to be aspirants for the NDC presidential primaries.
Mr Richard Quarshiga, the Propaganda Secretary of the NDC, was speaking to the Daily Graphic about the party’s reaction to posters of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings in some parts of the country.
The posters appear in NDC colours and are embossed with a picture of Nana Konadu and small pictures of some female former and current world leaders. It has the inscription, “Nana Konadu, Hope for Ghana 2012”. It also has the telephone numbers of all the regional co-ordinators of a group calling itself, NDC footsoldiers on it.
According to Mr Quarshigah, there was the need for party members to abide by the party’s tenets and also use internal structures and procedures to seek redress and explanation to issues, rather than resorting to unconstitutional means.
He said apart from the Nana Konadu picture issue, the party would also investigate other complaints by some members of the party and address them.
The Central Regional Co-ordinator of the NDC Footsoldiers, Mr Kobina Quansah, told the Daily Graphic that their decision to form an alliance to support Nana Konadu for the 2012 polls stemmed from the fact that the NDC since its assumption of office had marginalised the very footsoldiers that propelled the party to power.
He said the regional co-ordinators of the footsoldiers were solidly united behind Nana Konadu, and that T-shirts and other party paraphernalia were being prepared ahead of the 2012 campaign, stressing that "whether she likes it or not she must contest the 2012 election ."
Mr Quansah who described President J.E.A. Mills as an "alien" in the NDC said he did not deserve a second term on the party's ticket, noting that no one else in the party except the former first couple appreciated their concerns, and that the fact that President Mills had jettisoned the ideals of the NDC to pursue a Convention People's Party (CPP) ideology was a calculated attempt to render former President Rawlings a persona non-grata in the NDC.
According to him although the NDC government had performed well in fixing the economy, what President Mills failed to understand was the fact that he won the 2008 polls on the back of a political party, and his failure to address the grievances of the party’s youth was a clear demonstration of his lack of appreciation of the feelings of supporters of the party.
He said the group supported the NDC because of the Rawlingses and that plans were afoot to organise a press conference to officially announce their intentions to the public.
When reached for the reaction of Nana Konadu, Mr Kofi Adams, the Spokesperson for the former first family noted that “if the foot soldiers are not asking for money but were calling on the party to uphold its tenets and principles, he had no problem with that”.
He also noted that it was clear that the group were posting the posters of Nana Konadu without her tacit approval but no one could control the adrenaline of such youth.
Asked if the former first lady was interested in contesting the position, he explained that she had been inundated with similar calls.
Mr Adams added that such a decision could not be taken on the spur of the moment, and that if she would undertake such an endeavour she needed to consult a number of people, family and groups for their advice.