Mills' Running Mate: Mrs Rawlings?

The issue of who becomes the running mate to either Professor John Evans Atta-Mills or Dr. Kwesi Botchwey, in the event of one of the two contenders getting the nod at the forthcoming National Democratic Congress (NDC) primaries is creating a lot of anxiety in that party.

As we went to press on Monday, unimpeachable information we obtained from a deep throat in the Mills camp clearly indicated that former First Lady and President of the 31st December Women?s Movement (DWM) Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is set to be running mate of Prof. Mills if he gets the nod at congress. Initial sorties into the Mills camp a few weeks ago by this paper fingered two names, Kumbungu MP Mohammed Mummuni and Nana Konadu. However, a publication to the effect that the former had been chosen elicited a denial from Ambassador Ekwow Spio Garbrah, the Media Manager of the Mills campaign.

Further probing by this paper since the Spio Garbrah denial has confirmed that the former First Lady is the deal for Prof. Mills. As a mark of the Konadu choice, several vehicles belonging to the DWM have been deployed over the regions to stoke the Mills campaign. In the Greater Accra Region, several DWM vehicles have been working earnestly for the Mills campaign. Prominent among the DWM vehicles deployed in the Greater Accra Region are a Toyota Pick Up with registration number GT 1176 C and a Mistubishi Pajero with registration number GT 1179 C.

Painstaking investigations over the weeks have revealed that some NDC women?s organisers are neck-deep in the campaign using the ?Nana Konadu for Veep? card to work on the psyche of potential delegates. Our scouts in the Ga-Adangbe area of the Greater Accra region have spotted at least three Women?s organisers of the NDC using DWM vehicles to campaign for Mills with the bargaining chip that a vote for Prof. Mills at Congress means Nana Konadu will be Vice President. Three NDC women?s organisers, Hajia Cash, who is the Greater Accra Deputy Regional Treasurer of the NDC, Mrs. Bakari, Osu Klottey NDC Women?s Organiser and Diana Okailey, Ablekuma South NDC Women?s Organiser have toured Prampram, Ada and other remote places in the Ga District piping the ?Konadu for Veep? tune.

NDC insiders we contacted did not express surprise at this development: ?Nana Konadu has always wanted to lead this country and the first step is to get to be Veep? a top NDC operative told us. Nana Konadu is reported to have clinched the deal on realizing the Prof. Mills did not come with enough cash for the campaign. ?The whole fact is that Mills has not got enough cash to prosecute his campaign. Konadu?s involvement will oil the Mills campaign and help the Prof. and the Prof. has no option than to make her his running mate,? another NDC insider told us.

The Independent recently got wind of a meeting Nana Konadu had with some NDC Women?s activists and organisers where firm instruction were given for potential delegates to vote for Prof. Mills.