Frequent Trips With Presidential Jets

President John Evans Atta Mills is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to smoke the peace pipe with his former boss and National Democratic Congress (NDC) founder, Jerry John Rawlings, in order to brighten his chances of winning the December 7 polls.

President Mills has subsequently moved to the international arena, soliciting support from international figures to broker peace with the NDC founder after all entreaties from local peace makers including high profile chiefs and religious leaders like the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu, and Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams had failed.

On July 8, a meeting was arranged for Mr Rawlings and the President in far away Equatorial Guinea under the auspices of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, a friend of both Ghanaian leaders, to smoke the peace pipe.

Even though sources said there was camaraderie at the meeting, the Rawlingses were shocked when they got to the meeting venue to find out that President Mills was around, since no announcement was made about the President travelling out of Ghana.

Information gathered from military sources indicated that on Sunday July 8, an Air Force jet flew the Rawlingses- Yaa Asantewaa, Nana Konadu who is linked to the newly formed National Democratic Party (NDP), a breakaway party from the NDC, and Mr Rawlings- to the port city of Bata, the home country of President Mbasogo.

They spent three days in Bata where they held private meetings with President Mills, with the host president in attendance to allow peace to prevail.

The Rawlingses returned on Tuesday, July 10.

The meeting was described as of ‘much interest’ and reportedly, there was excitement in the gait and parlance of the two groups before their return to Ghana.

The intervention of President Mbasogo was the last straw President Mills is holding on to in order to get the backing of his former boss in the run up to the December 7 elections, especially in the face of the formation of NDP which was being led by disgruntled members of the NDC. It was not immediately clear whether President Mbasogo had succeeded in convincing the Rawlingses to drop their ambition of forming a new party, as foot-soldiers of the NDP were still on the field, taking signatures from founding members across the country in order to register the party with the Electoral Commission this week.

Frequent Trips With Presidential Jets

Equatorial Guinea seemed to have become a favourite destination of officials of the Mills administration.

The presidential jet and Air Force planes had made frequent trips to the oil rich but poor country with and without the President.

High-profile government officials and members of the NDC such as Sidalco boss David Lamptey, his wife, and a particular lawyer close to the Ahwois, had been sighted landing in Malabo, the country’s capital, from the Number One airplane.

Mr Lamptey, who had suddenly become a power broker in the NDC with his Sidalco fertilizer wealth, had a lucrative contract with the former Spanish colony brokered by President Mills.

The Equatorial Guinea president visited the Tema Motorway office of the fertilizer company when he came to Ghana last year.

Just before Independence Day celebration this year, the Air Force jets were sighted there (Equatorial Guinea).

Konadu Starts Campaign

Meanwhile, Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings appears to have set the ball rolling for the commencement of political activities for the 2012 general elections, urging the electorate to give their mandate to a development-oriented candidate.

Nana Konadu, who was rumoured to be leading the NDP, said Ghana needed a person that had vision to develop the country for present and generations yet-unborn to live affluent lifestyles, bemoaning hardships in the country, presently.

According to the President of 31st December Women’s Movement, the electorate ought to open their eyes wide and vote massively for a political party that could transform Ghana within the shortest possible time.

“The electorate should attentively listen to the various political parties vying for the highest seat of the land and know their vision and plans for the transformation of the country.

“Having listened to the various political parties, I will urge the populace to give their mandate to the political party which has a message of hope which can make Ghana the better place we all want it to be.”

Nana Konadu was among a host of personalities that called into a special programme aired on Kessben FM in Kumasi on Friday to celebrate the birthday of Omanhene Adu Boakye, morning show host and programmes manager of the station.

The former first lady was of the view that Ghana at this present stage needed a president that possessed the potential of providing jobs for the energetic youth to enable them to contribute their quota to the country’s developmental aspirations.

Though she did not mention the particular political party which the electorate should vote for in the upcoming elections, she argued that Ghana needed someone that could eradicate hardships and move the country forward.

The wife of the NDC founder was also of the conviction that the country would see significant development and the older segment of the population would enjoy life to the fullest if a visionary leader was chosen to steer the affairs of the state.

“We should vote for someone that can make life better and comfortable for both the young and old,” Nana Konadu suggested.

The former first lady also called for peaceful polls, insisting that under no circumstance should the populace fight each other because a new leader of the country was being elected.

Nana Konadu therefore implored Ghanaians to shun all acts that could trigger mayhem including foul language and insinuations and rather be decorous whilst campaigning for the highest seat of the land.

According to her, Ghana could only develop when peace prevailed in the country, stressing the need for all stakeholders in the elections, notably the various political parties, to play key roles to make the elections an incident-free one.

Nana Konadu declined to comment on the latest development on the burnt home of the Rawlingses which was under construction, when the host of the programme, Ali Baba, pushed her to the wall. “Whatever I say might trigger a brouhaha,” she said.

NPP Parliamentary Candidate for Asokwa, Patricia Appaigyei, Adakabre Frimpong of Adom FM, Kwame Adinkra of Angel FM, Captain Smart of Fox FM and I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr of Daily Guide were among the personalities that called into the show to wish Omanhene well.**