General News of Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Source: The Chronicle

Konadu Rawlings Fails To Fly In Ashanti

It has now emerged that the much-talked about campaign embarked upon by a team of party activist, allegedly delegated by the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, to the Ashanti Region, did not yield the expected dividends.

Reports filtering in indicate that the team, led by some incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) and youth activists, was disappointed by the cold reception accorded them by delegates and party executives at the respective constituencies they visited, in their week long campaign.

According to information, the members of the team were dealt a hefty blow by some of the delegates, when they were subjected to a barrage of questions, ranging from why President Mills should be changed, to which personalities they think should be offered positions, apart from the current crop of ministers.

The campaign team, according to Chronicle sources, failed to address most of the questions posed by the delegates on why the former first lady should peak so early, when the government was just two years in office.

Some of the meetings, according to sources, ended abruptly, as the team failed in their attempts to convince the party foot-soldiers as to why Nana Konadu should not allow President Mills to successfully complete his four year mandate, and was instead, going about campaigning against him.

The Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NDC Youth Working Committee, Kobby Onasis Rosely, who confirmed the campaign flop on Fox FM in Kumasi recently, said he was very sure the former first lady was being deluded into believing that the grounds were fertile for her, when it was not so. “I wish her so-called campaign team would tell her the true situation, and what actually transpired during their campaign. The truth is that the campaign was a flop but I doubt if they would tell her so,” he noted.

Onasis alleged that the campaign team of Nana Konadu could not even produce a single name, who it thought should be given a position in government, which the President had failed to do, to let alone, convince the party foot-soldiers on the viability of Nana Konadu’s flag-bearership aspirations.

This came to light when one of the campaign activists, SaCut Amengo-Etego, granted an interview to the radio network, on the visit of the former first lady’s campaign team to the Ashanti Region. SaCut told the host of the morning show, Captain Kwadwo Smart, that he and his team were in the region to conduct activities in the interest of the ruling party.

But, when he was asked whether the regional executives of the party were notified about the visit, in line with the party’s constitution, SaCut answered in the negative, contending that the team had an agenda which he was not ready to disclose publicly.

He, however, went berserk when the host enquired from him whether it was right for them to have visited the region without the consent of party executives, if, indeed, their visit was in the interest of the NDC.

Angry SaCut retorted: “My friend, you cannot ask me that question. I said we came for an agenda, and I don’t care how any party member feels.”