Victor Smith details special arrangement with JJ Rawlings over Nana Konadu’s influence

Former special aide to late Jerry John Rawlings, Victor Smith has disclosed that he had an agreement with the late president to conduct further checks on whatever information he (Rawlings) was given by his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings.

Victor Smith told Onua TV that whatever Nana Konadu said to Rawlings relative to politics and national discourse, he had the approval of JJ Rawlings to conduct further investigations on them before the late president could believe them or speak about it publicly.

The former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom said he took this initiative after realizing that Rawlings had absolute trust in Nana Konadu and tended to swallow whatever she told him hook, line and sinker.

Victor Smith said it was difficult for Rawlings to accept the proposal but he averted his mind to the fact that Nana Konadu could be wrongly briefed on an issue and she could pass that information on to him.

He got Rawlings to see reason in the fact that blowback from speaking on an issue where he is wrongly briefed could be catastrophic hence Rawlings obliged.

“Nana Konadu influenced Rawlings a lot. He respected his wife which is good but it is not everything your wife tells you that is the truth. That is one thing I told President Rawlings, that anything that comes from madam to you as information, let me do a background check on it.

“Because someone may have fed her with the wrong information and she believed it so when you (Rawlings) make a comment on it at the level where you are and it turns out to be false or inaccurate, it will be a disgrace for you and the party. I’m sure is it the reason I was disliked by madam” he said.

Victor Smith also opined that he is not sure Nana Konadu would like to return to the National Democratic Congress.

According to him, the Koforidua primaries delivered a massive blow to the former First Lady and that he does not think she will want to be part of it again.

“It is unlikely she will come back to NDC. Politics is about numbers, so as long as you tow a line and don’t try to undermine the party, you’ll be fine.

"People have died serving the NDC so when someone tries to joke with the party, I think about those people and get emboldened to fight back. We have served this party for long. I’m not hungry or selfish but we will protect the party,” he said.