Rawlings should put up or shut up -Commey

THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) National Organiser, Lord Commey has called the bluff of former President John Jerry Rawlings, describing his recent utterances as effusions of a confused and frustrated opposition leader.

Lord Commey said Rawlings’ unwarranted attacks on him and the NPP flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo was a reflection of the sudden fear that has gripped the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over the election of Nana Addo.

The NDC founder had told cadres on Wednesday at Akwatia in the Eastern Region that the NPP National Organiser conspired with some unnamed persons to rig the polls at the ruling party’s congress in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo.

Mr Rawlings said in a plot to get the election postponed and prepare the grounds for Akufo-Addo’s victory, Lord Commey cunningly grabbed the microphone and announced that somebody was distributing money to delegates to vote for Mr. Alan Kyerematen, a front runner in the race.

Reacting to the allegation, Mr Commey said there was no iota of truth in the former President’s statements.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE yesterday, Lord Commey described Rawlings’ utterances as “part of the visible symptoms of a party that is afraid and uncomfortable that Nana Addo had won the congress.

“Rawlings should better put up or shut up. If he feels the heat is too hot for him then he should get out of the kitchen because these old tricks of propaganda and ancient communist tactics the NDC is noted for, can no longer win elections in contemporary Ghanaian politics.

“In the first place, it is a damn lie that I grabbed a microphone. Which mic, and from whom? Honestly, I do not even have to dignify Rawlings with a response when he says such things.

They do not win votes. I want to meet him in the campaign field canvassing for votes. That is where I am ready to face him and prove that our candidate is better than theirs,” Mr. Commey said.

The NPP National Organiser expressed confidence that his party would have no problem marketing Nana Akufo-Addo to the Ghanaian electorate.

He said Nana’s message, attitude and campaign style had won the NPP a lot of goodwill, and that was the source of Rawlings’ fear.

“I dare him and his shrinking NDC to put up a good show and stop the diversionary tactics and useless talks. It is ‘Nana phobia’ that is worrying them,” Mr. Commey noted.

Mr. Rawlings had told the NDC cadres at the meeting that Lord Commey and the NPP’s aim was to prevent the delegates from voting for Mr. Kyerematen and rather vote for Nana Akufo-Addo.

“Alan Cash was going to be the clear winner but after Lord Commey used that strategy, everything went in favour of Nana Akufo-Addo,” Rawlings said.

He called the NPP a bunch of thieves. "The NPP are bringing a thief to take over from another thief," he said, referring to Nana Akufo-Addo and President Kufuor, and added that there was no difference between the two.

“The NPP leaders are a bunch of thieves; they are greedy and very selfish. They have looted the national coffers and see how they are shamelessly flaunting their wealth around in the midst of humiliating conditions of majority of the people," he said.

According to the former President, though the NPP called themselves true democrats, they flagrantly abused the rights of people in the country.

"We in the NDC are not like them. We have minds, we have a heart, we have compassion, we have conscience and above all we respect God," he stated.

He indicated that the NPP was paying people huge sums of money to infiltrate the ranks and break the front of the NDC because they knew if they did not do that, the NDC would win power this time.

The former President alleged that he had heard that an NPP Member of Parliament (MP) had gone to see a Mallam to invoke a curse on the NDC and its parliamentary aspirant, so he would lose the forthcoming elections.

“They want to destroy our party like how they have destroyed the fibre of the society,” Mr. Rawlings said.

He added that he sacrificed his life for the nation as head of state but since the NPP took over power, they had been hunting him like a criminal.

He claimed that when he was going to Akwatia, officials of BNI sent him a text to the effect that he should take it easy, which meant that they were always monitoring him.