Ghana: Daggers Drawn as Ghanaians go to Presidential Primaries

By Staff Writer

ACCRA---The stage seems to be open for the best man to clinch the sit of the 2012 general elections. Ghana’s President John Atta Mills is facing a rough time with the egress of former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, who has picked her nomination forms to stand against him at the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) primary to elect a candidate for the party.

Leading an onslaught, former President Jerry Rawlings who is the founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Wednesday publicly denounced Ghanaian President John Atta Mills accusing him of ineffective leadership. In his statement he said, “the time has come to change the driver”.

Mr Rawlings was addressing supporters of the party at a ceremony where his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, 62, launched her campaign to unseat President Mills at the party’s primary slated for July 8-10, to elect presidential candidate.

President Mills is the man Mr Rawlings hand-picked and supported to win the 2008 election.

Sarah Acheampong, an advocacy officer for Ghana Women’s Movement has welcomed the move saying that, it was  in the right direction. “We must involve more women in high political office in the country and Nana Rawlings has shown the way.”

Ms Acheampong said, “Those who have castigated Nana Rawlings for daring to contest against President Mills were doing so because they do not understand how democracy works.

‘‘Nana Rawlings is a Ghanaian who has her right to stand for any elections in the country even though she has been a First Lady before that should not be used against her.” Mr Asiedu Nketiah, NDC general secretary said, submission of the completed nomination forms is slated for June 1, vetting of potential candidates would be from June 7-8, and release of delegates’ lists would be on June 10.

Hundreds of NDC supporters Tuesday thronged the party’s headquarters to show solidarity with the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who took her first step to become the NDC’s presidential candidate for the 2012 general elections when she picked her nomination forms.

She thus becomes the first person to pick the nominations forms after the party declared the campaign opened last month.

Mrs Rawlings’ bid to challenge Mr Mills at the primary is the first time a serving president has been challenged during his first term. If she wins the primary, Nana Konadu Rawlings would become the first Ghanaian women to contest for the presidency.