Mills Sets Bad Pace

The Convention People�s Party (CPP) is not amused with the overwhelming endorsement of President John Evans Atta Mills by delegates during the just-ended congress of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) since he was challenged by another party member in his bid to lead the ruling party in the 2012 general elections. President Mills, for the first time in the nation�s political history, was challenged intensely by Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, wife of the NDC founder. The CPP told the president and the entire umbrella family at the congress that the NDC has set a bad record, which is not worthy of emulation by other political parties in the country. In a solidarity message during Saturday�s congress at the Sunyani Coronation Park, the CPP representative, who did not mince words, said President Atta Mills has set a bad precedence in Ghana�s political history for being the first sitting president to be challenged by another party member. This was after the New Patriotic Party�s Sammy Awuku and the PNC�s Bernard Monnah had given their solidarity speeches at the congress. However, the CPP representative, whose name was not readily available, hit the nail right on the head by expressing dissatisfaction with the negative development in the ruling party. His comment was greeted with a hostile reception by party delegates who refused to applause him after the speech. Though the over 3000 delegates gave President Mills about 97 per cent of their votes to endorse him as the 2012 presidential candidate of the NDC, analysts say the president risk losing the next general elections because of cracks in the party which led to the founder, Jerry John Rawlings to select his wife to challenge him. According to former President Rawlings, Prof Mills will lead the ruling party into a political ditch because of his ineffectiveness and lack of direction.