Konadu Climaxes Thank You Tour In A Grand-Style

Former first lady of Ghana and NDC flag bearer contender Nana Konadu Agyeman- Rawlings has climaxed her nation-wide Œthank you¹ tour with a massive reception by residents of Tamale, the Northern Regional capital on Saturday October 1.

The occasion was used by the former First Lady to thank her supporters and delegates who rooted for her during her campaign to lead the NDC into the 2012 election.

Earlier in the week, she had visited the Upper West regional capital, Wa as well as Bolgatanga in the Upper East region where she received massive crowds of singing, drumming and dancing supporters. The crowds and scores of motor bikers led Nana Konadu from the Tamale airport from where she paid courtesy calls on several prominent chiefs in the Tamale metropolis before proceeding to meet with and address her numerous supporters at the Teachers¹ Hall. Prior to her visit, there were reports of threats from NDC youth groups known as the ŒAzoka boys¹ warning the president of the 31st DWM and her FONKAR supporters to stay away from the region akin to the situation that confronted her in Cape Coast a fortnight ago where so-called Œmacho men¹ locked up the venue for her meeting in the presence of uniformed police men without any resistance - a situation that received little condemnation from the NDC party top hierarchy - further re-enforcing the perception that these orchestrations may well be planned.

From 9:30 am when she arrived at the Tamale airport, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings held meetings with six different chiefs in and around TAMALE before climaxing the day with a meeting and address to her supporters at the fully packed to capacity Teachers Hall until 6:15pm. According to XFM news sources, residents of Nyoni, a suburb of Tamale who recently resisted any attempts by NDC leaders to visit their chiefs and peoples abandoned their stands and came out in their numbers and in their party colours upon hearing that Nana Konadu was visiting their chief. Nana Konadu asked her supporters to ignore Œpure lies¹ been peddled about the NDC party founder by people who are bent on destroying the foundation of the NDC. She particularly described as complete falsehood, reports that the burnt house of the former President and NDC founder Jerry John Rawlings is under reconstruction. She stated that ?not even a foundation has been laid. And the media is welcome to see it and take pictures so we will all know the ones who are dishonest when it comes to this issue¹, she stressed. But unlike in Cape Coast where these threats were carried through, Xfm95.1 can report that the situation in Tamale was totally different. Motor bike riders, plus scores of party supporters clad in party paraphernalia took over the streets of Tamale in massive show of support for the former First Lady contrary to directives by party officials for them to boycott the meeting. There were also reports of a struggle for Nana Konadu T-shirts on the streets of Tamale - a clear signal that the Rawlings¹ enjoy massive support at the grass roots level of the party beyond the so-called 3.1% support base.

Nana Konadu insists that she will not abandon the party founded by her husband and former President, Jerry John Rawlings. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings stressed the need for a party devoid of apathy at the grassroots to make it capable of winning the next elections. She also lamented the situation where government officials continually create the wrong impression that millions of dollars have been paid to her by the NDC government upon assumption of power. She flatly denied any such payments and asked her supporters to ignore such deliberate lies. She stressed the need for massive voter registration by the party followers when the EC opens the voter register.

Mrs. Rawlings ended her national Œthank you¹ tour on Saturday after touring all ten regions of Ghana.