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THE MUDSLINGING and fierce battle for the soul of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) continues unabated ahead of the governing party�s make or break July 8 Sunyani congress. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Information and a member of Get Atta Mills Endorsed (GAME) has indicated that former President Rawlings has been blackmailing party delegates to vote for his wife, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings who is contesting with President Atta Mills to lead NDC for the 2012 presidential elections. The deputy minister, an ardent defender of President Mills also described the former First Lady as a vindictive person who can never win any national election in the country. Speaking Friday on Metro TV�s �Good Morning Ghana� programme hosted by Shamima Muslim, Mr. Ablakwa said the former President was only blackmailing NDC delegates to vote for his wife threatening that the inevitable will happen if his wife does not win the presidential primaries at the NDC congress. According to him, the NDC founder threw out similar comments at the Tamale congress during which he virtually swindled delegates into voting for his wife as a vice chairperson of the governing party. While addressing NDC supporters at this year�s June 4 celebration at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi, Rawlings hinted that the inevitable will happen should the verdict of the delegates be stolen and his wife lose the election. However, the NDC founder who virtually took members of his own party to the cleaners during the programme, did not explain what he meant by �inevitable will happen,� leaving party supporters in suspense. Throwing mud at President Mills� sole contender ahead of the congress, Mr. Ablakwa descended heavily on Nana Konadu, saying �looking at her past record, she is not somebody who can win any election in the country. People think Nana Konadu is vindictive and I agree with them and I do not think that with such a record, she can win any election in the country.� Mr. Ablakwa lamented that the June 4 anniversary which was supposed to be used to remember fallen heroes and innocent citizens who lost their lives during the uprising in 1979, was rather used as a campaign platform for Nana Konadu. He said the former president and his wife wanted to be in charge of the country again after ruling for 19 years and that was why they were constantly undermining President Mills� administration. �Rawlings and his household believe they are the only wise men who can lead the NDC and the country,� Mr. Ablakwa noted saying �this culture of entitlement must stop.� He hoped Mr. Rawlings would be given enough time at the Sunyani congress to express his feelings saying nobody was afraid of the NDC founder�s tantrums. �If the founder wants to speak, he should be allowed to speak and indeed if all the members of his family want to speak, they should be allowed to do so,� Mr. Ablakwa teased. Government had nothing to hide he said challenging the former president to substantiate his claims that President Mills had surrounded himself with �greedy bastards� and corrupt officials. �We are not running a criminal regime; we have not stolen any money. Let there be specific instances of these claims,� he dared Mr. Rawlings. Ghanaians, Mr. Ablakwa observed, were becoming disappointed with Rawlings� tantrums and that it was time for the NDC founder to critically examine himself. �There is a time when a politician must bow out when the shout of his praises is loudest,� he suggested, naming former President Nelson Mandela of South Africa as an example. In the midst of current developments within the ruling NDC, Nana Akomea, the Director of Communications for the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) who was a co-panelist on the show, was happy that national security was going to be in charge of the Sunyani congress. �If you left these people to themselves, they would kill themselves because the NDC has a record of extreme violence at their congresses,� said Nana Akomea who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okaikwei South. He recounted what happened at the NDC congress in Koforidua in 2006 where Frances Asiam and Dr. Obed Asamoah, then National Women�s Organizer and National Chairman respectively were brutally terrorized, leading to their breakaway from the party.