NDC Begs Konadu With Volta Chiefs

A retinue of chiefs from the Volta Region yesterday went to see the former First Couple, Jerry Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu, in an attempt to help resolve the emerging factionalism within the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC). Credible sources close to the NDC founder told DAILY GUIDE the chiefs were led by the Awomefia of Anlo, Togbe Sri III, whose mission was to get the Rawlingses to settle whatever differences they had with the government and forge ahead in unity for the 2012 general elections. Though attempts to reach the suspended Deputy General of the NDC and spokesman of the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams, for confirmation proved unsuccessful, since he did not answer the calls, the chiefs were reported to have told Mrs Rawlings that they were sent by the top hierarchy of the party from the Anlo area and some traditional chiefs to broker peace between them and the Mills administration. Checks by DAILY GUIDE indicated that the likes of Professor Kofi Awoonor, Chairman of the Council of State and Mr James Victor Gbeho, who recently returned to Ghana as a stop-gap ECOWAS Commission President, had a hand in the meeting with the Rawlingses. Their first port of call was said to be the office of the former First Lady, located at Ridge, Accra, with the intention of getting her to convince her husband to bury the hatchet and unite with the leadership of the party. Despite the respect she had for them, Nana Konadu was said to have asked the chiefs where they were when she and her husband were booed and jeered during the NDC congress in Sunyani. In response, the chiefs were said to have told Nana Konadu that they did not want to engage in partisan politics, but how to bring unity to the party since all of them were concerned about the cracks in the ruling party. The former First Lady was then reported to have directed the chiefs to Mr Rawlings, the NDC founder, who is now being treated like an alien in the party he toiled for with his blood. That, according to the source, was because Nana Konadu said there was very little she could do to convince her husband in that regard. The delegation was then said to have moved to the office of the former President, also located in the Ridge area. It is not clear whether Mr Rawlings, who returned to the country during the weekend, gave them audience. However, there were indications that the chiefs could not achieve their aim of getting the NDC founder, who believes �Ghana needs a real and true awakening� since �the government is fast speeding the country into an abyss�, to mend broken fences with the Mills government.