President-elect Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo last Monday – Boxing Day – paid a visit to former President Jerry John Rawlings at the latter’s Ridge residence in Accra.
The visit was regarded as part of the ongoing gratitude tour by the president-elect to critical personalities and institutions since he was declared winner of the recent general election.
He had already toured the Northern, Ashanti and Western Regions. At the time of filing this report, Nana Addo was en route to Accra from his Western and Central Regional tour, which was said to have been massively subscribed.
The visit to the former president was a closed-door one, with none of the aides of the two personalities in attendance.
Sources said the meeting was very cordial and fruitful, with the two leaders smiling before the cameras after the parley.
Also absent was former first lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, who also contested the election under the umbrella of National Democratic Party (NDP).
It is thought that the two would have discussed the issue of the recovery of state funds – the former president’s acerbic position on the Woyome’s money a household knowledge.
The only evidence of the visit by Nana Akufo-Addo is the picture of the two personalities in a handshake shortly after the closed-door engagement.
In his maiden speech after being declared winner in the polls, Nana Akufo-Addo was lavish with his remarks of gratitude to persons who contributed immensely towards his victory.
Beneficiaries of the kind words included former President Jerry John Rawlings and retired Captain Kojo Tsikata, among others, for their contributions towards his (Nana Addo’s) campaign, which obviously added a fillip to his efforts.
“To the senior citizens of our country who have given me invaluable advice over the years, amongst them, the former President of the Republic, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings; the former Secretary General of the United Nations, His Excellency Kofi Annan; Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene; the former Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. J.B. Danquah; the Chairman of the NPP’s National Council of Elders, the veteran statesman, C.K. Tedam and Captain Kojo Tsikata, erstwhile PNDC member responsible for National Security. I thank you for your counsel and for sharing your wisdom with me; and hope I can continue to count on you during the challenging period ahead of me,” Nana Akufo-Addo had stated in his victory speech.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) leadership and rank and file members did not take kindly to the unexplained advice the two persons – Rawlings and Tsikata – provided to the president-elect, describing their gesture as treacherous.
In their post-evaluation of factors which led to the defeat of the NDC, the leadership pointed at, among other things, the non-support of Rawlings to the campaign effort of the party he founded.
Former President Rawlings had described Nana Akufo-Addo as a man beyond graft – a description which jolted the image of the president-elect and incensed the NDC.
Jerry’s “babies with sharp teeth” is now a mantra, a description of the youthful ministers for their insulting nature. It has joined the many iconic political remarks on the public space.
His non-appearance at the NDC’s last rally, a few weeks ago – having used his name to advertise the programme – had many people concluding that the former fighter pilot was not ready to patch ways with managers of his political grouping.
Speculation was rife that the party leadership had sought to have him show up at the party’s last rally, but this he turned down.
When some NPP elements visited him to have him support their cause in stopping Togolese from flooding the frontier areas to vote in the local polls, he asked that the victor should be magnanimous with the loser at the end of the electoral exercise.
While asking that those who have stolen from the public purse using their political positions to do so be made to return the loot, he was quick to add that the process should be bereft of witch-hunting.
Source: A.R. Gomda/Daily Guide
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God is watching everybody, whether the meeting is being held in closed door nor open door, there is no secret under this sun, one day, the truth shall surely come out.God helf us all.
I did not vote because I felt the pain, what the leadership did to Rawlings infact it was a pain for me to decide not to vote,but i had no other option.all those die hard NDCs who did not vote did so because we were very sure of Mahama loosing for us to reorganize the party.and if they keep those who rendered our leader Rawlings ***barred word***,we will as well render the party ***barred word***
RAWLINGS THE TRAITOR,CHAMELEON
The NDC party are really in trouble with Nana Addo meeting JJ Rawlings ; HOW COME !!!!!?; to me the powers to be in the NDC including Kodzo Tsikata washed their hands off the NDC about two years ago; NDC made a BIG MISTAKE and could not read between the lines when JJ Rawlings refused to back the NDC at their congress but told them he will tour the country after the election ; JJ Rawlings is going to rouse the grass -roots and poor in the NDC party during his tour ; he will tell the party that people like Asiedu Nketia; George LOh; Oman Boama ; Ablakwa ; Felix Kwakye ; Koku ;Fifi Kwettey ; Betty Mould ; Woyome ; Alex Segbefia are not true NDC members but are money seekers who are now very rich people fighting to be multi-millionaires but came to full party members that they are with the the NDC party ;JJ Rawlings will tell party that not until these secret lutters and thiffs are thrown out of the party the party will not survive another election ; it is just like these licensed northner NDC thiffs until 2028 ; just like Jon Mahama ; Fuseini ; Iddrissu and all the NDC northners in parliament they dress well live well and enjoy in Accra but when they go north pretend to wear 'charlie wotee' and a smock to full northners that they are poor as the people ; JJ Rawlings is going to tell the party to get rid of these charlatans and thiffs; the trouble is that JJ Rawlings is himself a KROOK and a millionaire who murdered to come to power ; NANA ADDO SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT JJ RAWLINGS BECAUSE THE MAN IS A SNAKE HEAD AND LIKE KUFFOUR DID JUST IGNORE THE THIFF .
I do not trust Rawlings again. Nana should be careful so as the NPP not to trust him even though he played a major role in NPP's victory. He gave all the ammunition to the NPP to counter the NDC. Rawlings has become a bully, if you don't do his way then you become his enemy. Only him and the so called unintelligent and ungrateful wife Nana konadu and no one else. I feel sorry for Rawlings, it seems the woman is in charge of the home and she has all the wealth they have looted. How do you trust Rawlings when in the past he denied taking millions from Abacha and today he has confessed taking the bribe. Did he use some of the Abacha loot to pay for his children's school fees abroad? Up till now he has not been able to show how he paid for the kids fees abroad.
To give him respect
AKUFFO ADDO SHOULD STAY AWAY FROM RAWLINGS.RAWLINGS IS A HYPOCRITE AND HAS BLOOD ON HIS HANDS.IF AKUFFO ADDO DOES NOT STAY AWAY FROM RAWLINGS HE MIGHT BRING DOOM ON HIS PRESIDENCY.WHAT CAN RAWLINGS OFFER TO AKUUFO ADDO? FOR 20 YEARS RAWLINGS WAS PRESIDENT HE COULDN'T OFFER EVEN A BASIC HEALTH POLICY LIKE HEALTH INSURANCE OTHER THAN THIEEEEVING AND TAKING BRIBES FROM ABACHA AND CO.AKUFFO STAY AWAY FROM RAWLINGS LIKE KUFFO DID.
Now some members of the NDC are crying their hearts out for not seeing Rawlings participated in the NDC campaign. Kwwashia talk! When Asiedu Nketia referred to Rawlings as too old to campaign, where were they by then? If the NDC had won, Asiedu Nketia and his cohorts would be referring to Rawlings as a non-factor and irrelevant in the NDC. If the NDC had won John Mahama would have said he was the best president ever and his wife the best first lady ever. Now they have found their rightful levels. Next time they will understand why we have elders in in every household. Haahahahahaaahahaa! Would NDC learn a lesson about how Nana Addo surrounded himself with his old colleagues instead of "babies with hard teeth?
THE NDC SHOULD RE-BRAND, RE-JUVINATE AND RE-STRATEGISE. RAWLINGS SHOULD BE ENTIRELY IGNORED BCOS HE HAD POSITIVELY INFLUENCED THE VICTORY OF THE NPP. HEARING FROM THE SO-CALLED VICTORY SPEECH OF AKUFO-ADDO AND WHAT THE NPP V/R CHAIRMAN SAID, IT GOES WITHOUT THINKING THAT RAWLINGS HAD CONNIVED WITH THE NPP.
Bola news. Rawlings had always admire Nana since childhood. S3 Nyame hyira wo no matter what you will cruise through.