THE 2008 NDC CAMPAIGN
In his bid to justify his version of events, the author goes as far as stating that President Rawlings was visibly absent from the 2008 national election campaign. Without needing to belabour a well-known and publicized fact, this account is absolutely false! President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings travelled extensively to campaign for candidate Mills and these campaigns were covered by the media and are a matter of public record. The documentary titled – An African Election – filmed during the 2008 campaign and election visibly shows the former president on the campaign trail with steely and unparalleled determination.
President Rawlings and Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings were actually an integral part of the NDC campaign structure for the 2008 election. He started his campaign in Sankore in the Brong Ahafo Region, and subsequently visited all ten regions, visiting some towns and villages twice, sometimes walking long distances in the process. President Rawlings traversed the whole country and made headlines by being the first to reach Tain, in the Brong Ahafo Region when that town became the eye of the storm during the election, leading to the legendary “third round”. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings campaigned in not less than 15 major markets in Greater Accra Region, after which she moved straight to the Volta Region to start work. She also campaigned in the Ashanti, Brong Ahafo and Western Regions. She is also on record as having loaned vehicles and countless other resources to the Party towards the elections.
Lest we forget Admiral Owusu Ansah, a courageous and patriotic member of the NDC who in spite of his failing health, joined the campaign trail shunning the comforts of his home in Accra in order to have Mills elected. This is a tribute to Admiral Owusu Ansah and patriots like General Nunoo-Mensah, who have selflessly sacrificed their lives, livelihoods and comforts for the Party; to then have one callously divisive individual, who in an attempt to increase book sales, insults and attempts to nullify the role and importance of these individuals.
Admiral Owusu Ansah, the true and dedicated members of the NDC owe you a debt.
Unsurprisingly, the author is ‘unaware’ of the campaign presence of the former President during the 2008 elections. Neither Kwamena Ahwoi, his brother nor majority of their cronies was on the campaign trail, preferring to stay in the comforts of their homes in Accra, perpetually leaving the hard work of getting the party re-elected to others, but always being first in line for political appointments.
ATTA KWABENA KUMAH
The entire reference to ‘Atta the mortuary man’ by the author is obviously ill-intentioned, unresearched and yet another attempt to dramatize the well-orchestrated divide in his Rawlings versus Atta Mills tale.
Atta Kwabena Kumah popularly known as ‘Attah the mortuary man’ was a good friend of President Rawlings, who worked at the 37 Military Hospital, Anatomical Pathological Unit for over forty (40) years. He sadly passed away in July of 2011 at the age of 82. They had known each other for close to forty (40) years, during which time Attah Kumah would regale President Rawlings with his life stories and Rawlings would do same.
At the introduction of his address at the 2010 NDC Congress in Tamale, President Rawlings cracked a joke (as he is known to do) recounting one of his many interactions with Atta Kumah which got the entire audience laughing and relaxed in anticipation of the more serious task ahead, the election of National Executives of the Party. This particular non-incident has been clarified on so many occasions that one only has to take the time to find sources for clarification.
It is rather unfortunate, that even a light-hearted joke that had the intended effect of diffusing the tensions usually experienced at party congresses, has been twisted into yet another Mills versus Rawlings affair ten (10) years later. Clearly, we can all see who seeks the perpetual disunity and failure of the NDC; once operating from the shadows and now clearly in the light.
