NDC will organize separate funeral for Rawlings – Asiedu Nketia

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) will organize a separate funeral for former President Jerry John Rawlings, the party’s General Secretary has said.

This, according to John Asiedu Nketia, was because the NDC felt President Akufo-Addo was doing everything to “hijack” the funeral of the late former President.

Rawlings, the founder of the NDC and the first President of the Fourth Republic died on Thursday, 12 November 2020, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, where he was receiving treatment, after a short illness.

Rawlings was 73 years old.

“Everything about this funeral, so far, depicts an attempt by an opponent to hijack the funeral of the founding father of our political party, and we don’t think the funeral of our party founder ought to be organised somewhere, and we get invited,” Asiedu Nketia told Accra-based Citi FM.

“We have called on the immediate family to share condolences, and we are beginning to discuss the way forward. We have directed all branches of our party countrywide to organise events countrywide that will give a fitting celebration of the life of our founder… We will participate [in the national funeral] but that will not stop us from organising our own thing,” he added.

Rawlings’ contribution to Ghana was enormous

President Akufo-Addo described the contributions of late former President Jerry John Rawlings to the development of Ghana as enormous and indicated the readiness of government to offer him a befitting state burial.

The President expressed his sadness at the sudden demise of the first President of the Fourth Republic, Flt Lt. Rawlings on Thursday.

Consoling the widow, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the children and family of former President Rawlings during a condolence visit on Friday, the President said he found it so difficult to believe that the dynamic and energetic personality full of vitality that he knew, had gone to meet his maker.