Konadu Rawlings: Corruption, thievery still persist in NDC

A former First Lady of Ghana, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, has dismissed media reports that she intends rejoining the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), saying the conditions that led to her leaving the Party have not changed.

The wife of ex-president Jerry John Rawlings left the NDC to form the National Democratic Party (NDP) some three years ago after her failed bid to become the flagbearer of the ruling party in 2011 – contesting the late President John Evans Atta-Mills in a presidential primary.

However, reports were rife Tuesday that the founder of the 31st December Women’s Movement and the longest serving first lady of the West African country was rejoining the party she helped found in 1992.

Mrs Rawlings described the reports as baseless and unfounded.

“I am not moving away from the NDP and I have not changed my mind. Conditions for which I left the NDC are still rife. Corruption in the party, disrespect and even the unbridled thievery in the party accounted for my exit. Intolerance and untruthfulness on the part of the party leadership played a key role in my exit,” Mrs Rawlings told Accra-based Adom FM.

In her view, some journalists in the country are fond of publishing stories about her and her husband in a bid to promote and sell their newspapers.

According to the founder of the NDP, the ruling party has failed to deliver on its promises and cannot be convinced to join them.

“They took over the schools I established, and they are not managing it well. I don’t know what is wrong,” she stated.