Unassailable reports reaching DAYBREAK indicates that the ruling administration is working out an arrangement to send a high profile delegation of eminent citizens in the National Democratic Congress to smooth talk former President Jerry John Rawlings into coming back onto the campaign platform of the party.
Fillers the ruling National Democratic Congress as a party as well as the Castle are getting point to the fact that ‘the necessary evil,’ as one of the Fante Caucus referred to Rawlings, must be brought on board before something nasty happens to the party.
Rawlings, they say loves the accolades and praise, so he must have it this time round even if it hurts, so that the opposition New Patriotic Party will be his target rather than the NDC, since Rawlings’s only campaign message is calling people corrupt.
“If we try and get him on board, his penchant for calling people corrupt will be diverted to the NPP and its candidate rather than Mills and the NDC leadership. The man should be eager to return since he loves to be glorified”, another was reported to have surmised, suggesting that if it came to the worst, Ezanetor Rawlings or son-in-law Herbert Mensah could be consoled with a Ministerial or ambassadorial position soonest.”
The move to bring Rawlings back on track follows his divorce together with the wife with the party over the NDC’s stampede of FONKAR and Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings in the last flag bearer contest which President JEA Mills won. But it is also over the blatant acts of insults that the NDC, led by Party General Secretary General Mosquito and ace foul-mouth Koku Anyidoho have been unleashing on them, in spite of the huge, almost indispensable contribution they had made to the growth and strength of the NDC.
The NDC, DAYBREAK was told, is even prepared to sacrifice Koku Anyidoho to prove to Mr. and Mrs. Rawlings that Professor Mills and the NDC means well. If it got to the worst, we were further informed; Anyidoho’s political chair will be snapped from under him, before the grand meeting of emissaries with Rawlings and Nana Konadu.
Whilst our sources were sure that Mary Grant and Prof. Awoonor will be fit and ready to go, the involvement of good, old ‘I Walk Alone’ Harry Sawyer could not be confirmed because he has been under the stethoscope and massaging hands of Korle Bu Hospital physiotherapists for several years now – even he makes quite contributions to the party.
The team, comprising old Harry Sawyer, recuperating from a ten year old threat of stroke; party Grandma Mary Grant and Chairman of the Council of State, Professor Kofi N. Awoonor, have the blessing of Professor Evans Fiifi Atta Mills to go beg Rawlings and ask him to forge the past and Koku Anyidoho’s sins and do what he JJ Rawlings is good at – which the NDC concedes, is singularly fighting their cause against the New Patriotic Party.
Strangely, the move, which was engineered by the Fante Caucus in the party, is yet to be made official to the revered emissaries. DAYBREAK also learnt that when schemer Dr. Yao Obed Asamaoh’s name was mentioned by one of the high-profile Fante Caucus guys as the man who can adeptly do the job because of the huge respect Rawlings has for him, no consensus was reached.
John Mahama, Vice President, whose name was initially cited, was also dropped as emissary because earlier personal commitments he had made to ensure that all respects were accorded JJ Rawlings by the party when he got nominated by Mills in 2007 have been thrown to the dogs by him and the party.
They were however, certain that the persons of three would be enough to disarm Jerry, who the NDC secretly believes is too eager to join the campaign for nostalgic reasons.