Momentous, in that, she has re-written the history books simply by being the first woman to challenge a sitting president for the flagbearership position of a party; just a term into the administration of the incumbent.
Mrs Rawlings, who described herself as a visionary leader, said her decision to contest a sitting President was to bring the NDC back on track to adhere to its core values and principles of probity, accountability, freedom and justice but now: “There is a level of hopelessness and despondency in the once vibrant and progressive National Democratic Congress.”
Ably supported by her husband, former President Rawlings, the former First Lady accused the Mills’ government of failing to pursue the “NDC’s avowed commitment of defending the will of the people and a government that is devoid of arrogance and vindictiveness.”
At a packed conference hall of the Accra International Conference Centre, filled with enthusiastic sympathisers mostly members of the 31st December Women’s Movement who travelled from all the 10 Regions in the country to lend their support for her campaign launch, Mrs. Rawlings said; “Let us take back the heart and soul of the NDC, let us work to uproot the culture of apathy, the culture of indiscipline and the culture of carelessness that has engulfed this country today. Let us infuse dynamism and vitality back into the NDC.”
According to her, the governance that Ghanaians had experienced since 2009 was not inspiring confidence, which could not also give Ghanaians a hope for the future. Mrs Rawlings stated that it was time for a “regeneration of the true spirit of devotion and loyalty” to the tenets NDC party.
“I stand before you here today because I represent social justice and a leadership that believes in a bottom-up approach to governance…I represent the future of the NDC…the time has come to choose a person who will offer effective leadership, who will be honest about the choices and the challenges we face, a person who will give you hope, who will listen and learn from you,” she said.
Nana Konadu, who is also the President of 31st December Women’s Movement, alleged that with the current position of the Party, most Ghanaians were convinced that something dynamic and phenomenal had to happen in the NDC for victory in Election 2012, adding: “I am the one who could win in next year’s Elections for the party.”
She said she felt the pain and despair that had engulfed the true supporters of the NDC who had cried for her intervention to salvage the Party and that she could not sit down unconcerned for the political entity to crash down since she had the interest of the people at heart.
To her, it was time for women to take over the leadership mantle from men who have had over fifty years to help develop the nation.
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