Nana Konadu - The Woman behind JJ’s Self-Destruction (Part 5 of 50)

We stated earlier in the series that in the December 2000 presidential election, Nana Konadu (whose husband Rawlings is incidentally barred by the constitution from standing for president again in any elections after serving his maximum two-term) and the then foreign minister, Dr. Yao Obed Asamoah, were all interested in the vice-presidential slot on the NDC ticket.

However, both were ignored by then NDC candidate, John Mills who rather settled on Obed’s deputy as Attorney General, Martin Amidu, instead.

Upset by that, Nana Konadu and Obed Asamoah have since been nursing the pain and promised to retaliate in equal proportion against the law professor anytime the opportunity brings itself.

And then again in 2004, Nana Konadu, who has proclivity for swimming, reading and dancing, together with Rawlings and their children wanted John Mahama to partner Mills.

President Mills, soft, fair but firm chose the current foreign minister, Alhaji Mohamed Mumuni, much to their dismay and bewilderment.

Madam, as she is fondly called felt so humiliated by professor Mills’ ‘disobedience’ that by July-August 2004, (before the 2004 elections) she had vowed to unseat Mills in the 2008 primaries of the NDC, should he (Mills) once again fail to take back the presidency from the NPP in the December election. And as a precursor to the realization of her dream, in August 2004 she commissioned two publicists, Paul Adom Otchere of Metro TV fame and Youth empowerment crusader, Charles Sam to kick-start her PR campaign for the purpose. Unfortunately for Konadu, her presidential dream fizzled out with the speed of lightening and by the end of 2006, when it had become obvious that John Mills was the delegates’ favourite candidate for the 2008 polls, she capitulated. So what did Konadu then do next? John Mahama, Konadu’s choice of running mate to Mills in 2004, was suddenly ditched by her; even defying her hubby's own endorsement of John Mahama in 2008, insisting that Mills must select the former Justice and Education Minister, Betty Mould Iddrisu, as his running-mate. However, Mills rebuffed her, insisted that he would run for the presidency with John Mahama. Nana Konadu viewed Mills’ actions as act of betrayal and insolence compelling her, in a radio interview later on to declare on Joy FM that “we will no more treat him (Mills) with kid gloves as we did in the past”. What she actually meant was that they (she and hubby Jerry Rawlings) were no more going to tolerate Mills’ defiance as he had done on previous occasions. But John Mills called her bluff and went ahead to name current Vice President John Mahama, as his running-mate for the 20008 polls. This further enraged Konadu so much that she vowed never to forgive Mills - hence the drama being played out today.

The final straw to have led to the hardening of Konadu’s determination and resolve to do President Mills in is her weird conviction that Mills is calculatingly attempting to replace her husband’s legacy with that of Nkrumah. For that act of betrayal, she refers to president Mills as ‘Bonsam’- to wit, a devil.

So my dear reader, by the time you finish reading this series, you would have come to the conclusion that the ongoing wrangling in the governing NDC is neither about incompetence nor corruption, anymore than it is about some NDC people's deviation from the core values of the party. On the contrary, it has everything to do with greed, self-aggrandizement and breathtaking arrogance - and the guilty party in this shabby affair, is none other than Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings.

Stay tune for part 6