By Cecil Mensah
Pieces of information emanating from the Progressive People’s Party (PPP) say secret talks are ongoing in the party to have beleaguered ex- First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings to partner Dr. Kwesi Nduom, the owner, flag bearer and bankroller of the PPP as his running mate for the December elections.
The report sounds bizarre but the coming days will reveal whether the NDC’s logo (umbrella) which Mrs. Rawlings is fighting to retrieve from the party, will go under Dr. Nduom’s logo of the sun.
The PPP owner recently told the media after his tour across the country, that he would be choosing his running mate by the middle of next month after the party had finished with its tour of the Greater Accra Region to propagate its ideals.
Asked who is going to partner him for the 2012 elections, Dr. Nduom subtly made an allusion that his running mate could be a woman, and someone who would help give his party a chance at the forthcoming election, adding the person would be someone who shares in his vision of public service, fear of God, believes in giving and someone will bring an added advantage to the campaign.
Whilst some say Mrs. Rawlings’ recent activities in the NDC are to set the stage to outdoor her own party, others are claiming she is likely to team up with an existing party to contest the presidency.
Insiders have told The Herald that all that Mrs. Rawlings wants is to bring down President Mills from the presidency, therefore, she has surrounded herself with activists of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) under the guise of Friends of Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings (FONKAR), claiming she would decide who wins the 2012 general elections.
When The Herald contacted the Deputy Communication Director of the PPP, Samuel Amoako, he said could not confirm the claim as no decision had been taken by the party on who should be Dr. Nduom’s running mate.
“As far as I am aware, there has not been any such meeting to discuss the issue of Nana Konadu Agyemang-Rawlings partnering the flag bearer for the 2012 election” he said.
Mr. Amoako said there are young and qualified women in the PPP who could match the likes of the sitting Vice-President, John Mahama and Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia, the Vice-Presidential candidate of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Presidential candidate of the NPP.
Earlier at a press conference, the PPP owner said that the party is a peaceful alternative to the acrimonious NDC and NPP.
He thanked party members and executives across the length and breadth of the country for the great discipline and positive attitude they showed during the just-ended Biometric Voter’s Registration exercise organized by the Electoral Commission (EC).
“Our representatives at the registration process did not prevent anyone from registering; neither did they engage in any behaviour that could disturb the peace or the registration process” he said.
He said the party has sworn to work with great discipline and show respect to all Ghanaians, including its political opponents.
