Afari-Gyan was manipulated to disqualify me – Konadu

Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings has lashed out at former Chairman of the Electoral Commission for allowing himself to be used by the powers that be when he was at the helm of affairs at the Commission.

Mrs. Rawlings, who was disqualified by the Commission then chaired by Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan when she attempted to contest the presidential race on the ticket of the newly-formed National Democratic Party (NDP) in 2012, said she cannot still come to terms with why she was disqualified.

The EC had explained to Nana Konadu’s NDP that her application was rejected because she failed to meet all the requirements set out by the Commission for presidential candidates.

But on Wednesday May 04, 2016, Mrs. Rawlings told Bright Nana Amfo on TV3 New Day she cannot accept blame for disappointing her followers in 2012.

“Any sane persons will ask why did Afari-Gyan do what he did. I am still asking myself why he did that,” she questioned that disqualification. She was convinced she met all the requirements.

According her, she has tried to put that incident behind her, but for Dr. Afari-Gyan, “he decided to do that, for me it will be with him for the rest of his life”.

Mrs. Rawlings explained that any time the former Chairman of the Electoral Commission sees her, he tries to plead innocent and suggests that accepting her candidature would have brought a number of troubles to him.

“I know there is something that he hasn’t told me, but others at the Commission had told me what it was,” she claimed.

The National Democratic Party broke away from the governing National Democratic Congress in the run-up to the 2012 elections.

Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings was endorsed for the second time by the NDP on Saturday to lead the party into the 2016 general elections as its presidential candidate.

She told TV3 the vision of the NDP is to empower Ghanaians and prayed the current commissioners at the EC would not allowed themselves to be controlled by external forces

“Definitely I am not going to disappoint my supporters,” she promised.