There is no letup to Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings’ political dreams, as she and her agents continue to keep her name relevant to contemporary developments.
The latest stunt in this regard is a high definition poster themed around ‘hope for despaired Ghanaians’ in the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
Last Sunday January 9, barely 36 hours after President Mills had held his first press conference of the year, brightly coloured posters with a life-sized image of the former First Lady were once again sprung on Ghanaians and hanged at strategic positions in the city of Accra, Kumasi and other parts of the country.
The posters, with outstanding features, were at the Ako Adjei Interchange and Olusegun Obasanjo Highway at the 37 Hospital intersection in Accra, suggesting an adequately funded image-boosting project, the kind preceding the outdooring of a politician’s ultimate intention of joining a major coveted race.
The message on the poster reads: “This year we the NDC foot-soldiers wish everyone in Ghana a new year filled with hope for the future because of our new expectations- a hopeful future for a bright future.”
Residents of Kumasi also woke up on Monday morning to witness the hoisting of fresh bold posters with the portrait of former First Lady at vantage points of the city.
The poster has a beautiful picture of Nana Konadu and is placed on the main road at the Kumasi Children’s Hospital area, close to the Kejetia Bus Terminal.
There are reports that similar posters of the former First Lady are scattered across some selected principal streets of the Garden City, the Ashanti Regional capital.
The precise group in the NDC that sponsored the poster is still not known to residents of the city, as no grouping has come out boldly to take responsibility for it.
Henry Oware, Leader of Movements For Nana Konadu 2012, denied knowing anything about the posters whilst answering questions on it, in a radio chat.
According to him, though his group did not have anything to do with the posters, “people should not make much noise about it since the posters would not cause any harm.”
Oware noted that the posters did not have any political implications so people should allow the matter to rest.
Earlier, Nana Konadu had scripted a special New Year message which was delivered through SMS text messages to important personalities in society including media practitioners.
That too was crafted around a future of hope and an encouragement to the challenged to leave behind the despair of yesterday.
It read: “Let us remember the capabilities of our past and build on it. Put behind despair of yesterday and look forward to new ideas and lessons for real change.”
Perhaps the most striking segment of the New Year’s message was the one imploring Ghanaians to “take the best and leave the rest. Together we have hope this year. Happy New Year.”- Dr. Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings.
The essence of these unfolding messages and posters cannot be lost on political watchers, especially in the NDC and its rival New Patriotic Party (NPP), as to the ultimate dream of the former First Lady.
She has so far not come out to distance herself from the project; neither has she associated herself with it, leaving her party’s supporters guessing and wishing it to be a dream that will eventually go away or turn into reality, depending on where one stands on the fence.
The silence on her part to condemn those claiming to be encouraging her to contest the presidential candidacy of Mr. Rawlings’ own party has been construed to mean a veiled consent.
As Ghanaians, especially political turf watchers, keep their vision steady in a year President Mills describes as an Action Year, they should prepare themselves for more of such pictorial and textual materials intended to eventually, perhaps, launch the former First Lady and President of the 31st December Women’s Movement into a yet-to-be-determined race, within her party or otherwise.
When confronted with the prospect of facing Nana Konadu in a possible NDC congress later in the year to elect a presidential candidate for the ruling party, President Atta Mills told journalists on Friday that the structures of the NDC would decide who would lead the party to the 2012 elections.
This was a departure from his earlier emphatic stand soon after coming to power that he will stand for his party in 2012, with assurances of victory.
This time, he noted that he would be very satisfied to have served God and delivered on his promises to Ghanaians at the end of his first term.
President Mills made the statement in reaction to a question as to whether he would be satisfied to be a one-term president, as criticisms swarmed in from some critics of his administration.
President Mills, who has declared 2011 as an Action Year to build on the foundation laid in the first two years of his administration, said Ghanaians would see for themselves the projects during the year.
Asked about his chances of success at the next elections, Mills said Ghanaians would be better judges of his performance, adding, “I’ve learned not to mark my own scripts.”
By A.R. Gomda & I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr, Kumasi