NDC Council of Elders beg Rawlings over Dr Valerie Sawyerr’s insults

A Tuesday meeting by the opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, to discuss details of the Professor Kwesi Botchwey’s report ended up taking another turn, as members of the Council of Elders used the occasion to beg President John Rawlings not to respond to attacks unleashed on him by Former Deputy of Staff Valerie Sawyerr.

Dr. Sawyerr some few weeks ago released an acerbic article on the former president, describing him as an “agitated mosquito” who has “buzzes” against his own party, when he should be focusing on the corruption allegations against the current government.

“They say he booms … I say he buzzes … like an agitated mosquito … looking for his next victim. Again, he heads for other Heads of State … describing their governance as riddled with corruption. Is he trying to say that his reign was unblemished or that his twin brother’s (President Akufo-Addo) reign is unsullied? Really?”

Contents of the article were said to have angered some senior party officials, including those on the council, who say the Dr. Sawyerr over stepped her bounds.

“This same man worked with your late father and he never raised a finger at him,” a source quoted one of the elders from the party. “It is an unfortunate culture that most of these Mahama appointees have developed over the years, where they think insulting elderly persons is the way to go, as we saw for more the four years.”

The source said the party elders also took issues with pronouncements by former party member Dr. Yao Obed Asamoah, who said in an interview he congratulated Dr. Sawyerr for her attack on the former president.

“Obed Asamoah is an ingrate who doesn’t deserve any attention from any of us,” a member was quoted to have said. “He is an opportunist who only sees money and nothing else.”

Former President Rawlings, who sat through the meeting, did not utter a word apart from accepting the apology of the elders.