Konadu To Partner JM In 2016?

Information reaching The aL-hAJJ has revealed that charismatic former President Jerry John Rawlings is brokering a peace deal between his wife Nana KonaduAgyemang Rawlings and the leadership of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) after almost four years of bitterness following the stiff presidential flagbearership race between the former first lady and the late President John Atta Mills. The ongoing re-union, The aL-hAJJ has gathered, is part of a wider plan to get the unsuccessful former National Democratic Party (NDP) flag bearer to partner President John Dramani Mahama for the 2016 elections as a way of appeasing her to return to the party�s fold together with the remnant of her almost defunct NDP. Apparently convinced that the ruling party will hand President Mahama another automatic ticket to contest the next presidential elections, the NDC founder, who following the recent Kumasi congress of the party, has now assumed his rightful leadership role in the party, is reported bent on getting his better half, Nana Konadu, reunite with the party she played key role in forming. Grapevine information has it that not all the present executives are enthused with the latest developments in the ruling party. According to them the move by the founder is to bait some key members of the national executives to sanction a conditional return of Nana Konadu. A source familiar with the current happening in the NDC told this paper that among the main conditions for the former first lady�s return to the NDC is to be named running mate for the 2016 elections. Nana KonaduAgyemang Rawlings abandoned the NDC in a botched attempt to contest the 2012 presidential elections on the ticket of the infant NDP, a party she single-handedly formed immediately after suffering a severe thrashing at the party�s Sunyani congress in 2011 to elect flag bearer. The former NDC vice-chairperson has since remained virulent critic of a party she and her husband, former President Jerry Rawlings once micromanaged from their Ridge residence. Former President Rawlings hinted of moves to bring her back into the party when he appealed to the former NDP flag bearer at the 8th national congress of the party in Kumasi to consider returning to the NDC fold. �Let us invite our mother Nana Konadu to come back home. I hope she can hear us, I hope she can see us but then again, can you blame her?� he said. However, the vociferous leader of the 31st December Women�s Movement wasted no time in rebuffing her husband�s offer, saying the main reasons why she walked out of the NDC and formed her now almost non-existent NDP still remain. �Even if I find it interesting I will not escort my husband there� The conviction I had in going to some other place is still there and still relevant,� the former vice chairperson of the NDC told Accra-based TV 3. Speaking to journalist Nana Aba Anamoah, Nana Konadu said �I had been busy the whole day. I had not heard,� adding that Mr Rawlings �knows better� when it comes to her resolve not to return though his appeal may have emanated from �a good heart�. �I worked to build [NDC],� she pointed out. �But even when you build a house, you build the house because you want to live in it�and you find that robbers have taken over your house and the house has been desecrated in some way and you have the chance to move to a smaller house somewhere, if you are not staying there, then that�s your problem.� However, despite her spirited rejection of Mr Rawlings� offer, deep throat sources say the new leadership of the NDC under national chairman, Dr Kofi Portuphy is almost concluding discussions with Nana Konadu to rejoin the party and perhaps become its 2016 running mate. It is however not yet clear to this paper if President John Mahama is aware or would sanction this move. Observers are brooding over the possible political ramifications of a change in the running mate of the NDC from the experienced economist and banker, Mr Amissah-Arthur to the former first lady, Nana Konadu. Political pundits expressed the belief that there is likely to be a backlash from the swing Central and Western regions if the current vice-president is changed. They further argued that Nana Konadu�s political backyard of Ashanti region is likely to remain a stronghold of the main opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) regardless of whoever is nominated running mate. However, a loss from the twin regions of Central and Western is an automatic loss of the elections for the ruling party and political connoisseurs believe that any change in the running mate will lead to the loss of the two regions. Stay tuned