Rawlings Chased Out Of Kotoka Airport!

Former President Jerry John Rawlings on Saturday 28th May 2011 went ballistic at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) when unseen hands stopped a planned trip to Abuja to witness the investiture of Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan.

The former President and Founder of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has made full and personal arrangements to fly to Nigeria on a hired private jet, with the Nigerian authorities on stand-by waiting for him, but the trip had to be cancelled after a frustrating day in which the authorities at the airport kept on coming up with one reason after another why he could not fly.

So incensed was the former President by the refusal to allow him to fly out that he is reported to have kicked bags and tables in absolute rage at the development.

Meanwhile there are strong indications that Rawlings is waiting for his promised June 4 parade to demonstrate his rage at the manner he was humiliated at the Kotoka International Airport by the Mills administration last week. The NDC government came to power largely through the instrumentality of Rawlings.

Asked if Rawlings would use the June 4 occasion to pay back the administration for frustrating the trip to Nigeria, Mr. Kofi Adams, the Spokesperson to the Rawlingses, said that we would have to wait and see.

The Daily Searchlight newspaper can reveal that both former President John Agyekum Kufuor and former President Jerry John Rawlings were invited to Nigeria to witness the investiture of Goodluck Jonathan, but whilst Kufuor decided to send representatives because of a personal recent tragedy in the family, Rawlings decided to go.

In that direction, the Nigerian government is reported to have arranged a flight to pick up Rawlings on Friday 27th May, but for some reason the flight could not be released on time, forcing Rawlings to make his own arrangements for Friday 28th May.

The day arrived, with the jet ready to fly the Nigerians standing on by and Rawlings ready to board the flight, but for some reasons that are still unclear , the authorities at the Kotoka International Airport said that the Rawlings jet could not be cleared to fly and therefore refused Rawlings to board. "They frustrated them for the whole day, and that is why Rawlings was not seen at the investiture," a source at the KIA said.

When Mr. Kofi Adams, Spokesperson to former President Rawlings contacted, he confirmed the incident, but could offer no explanation on why Rawlings was stooped form flying.